


Irresistible

by kelsanity



Series: Love Somebody [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Biting, College Parties, Crushes, Dorm Sex, Drinking, Drunken Flirting, Flirting, Friends With Benefits, Frottage, Gay Sex, Hair-pulling, Hand Jobs, High school crushes, Hook-Up, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, PDA, Praise Kink, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Sloppy Makeouts, Teasing, fuck buddies, go for it tsuki!!, lots of innuendos, meeting up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:14:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28849644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelsanity/pseuds/kelsanity
Summary: “Because isn’t curiosity enough to want to start over?”. . . .Tsukishima thought he had put old crushes well behind him. He's doing his best to manage school, work, and his waning interest in volleyball. After being convinced to go out for one night, Tsukishima never thought he would get to play out an old high school fantasy.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Series: Love Somebody [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115480
Comments: 16
Kudos: 68





	Irresistible

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys~! I'm so excited to be bringing y'all a KuroTsuki fic >.>
> 
> For those that don't know, I have an ongoing fic right now, which has sparked me to write this current one. This is a prequel to "Middle of the Night" but it's not necessary to read that before this or vice versa. In fact, you might have better enjoyment reading this fic without knowing the other ^.^;
> 
> Because of the intended prequel, I am actually going to making both fics into a series and more - because I absolutely have more ideas with pairings in this world <.< I will also be giving this fic its own series too, so you can read each chapter of their relationship as individual oneshots~
> 
> Anyways! Don't wanna bore anyone, so go ahead and read to your heart's content~ <3

Everything was always exaggerated in movies. 

The big screen loudly dictated what society wanted, making the simplest tasks seem important, and it didn’t matter what genre either. There was a recurring expectation that everything needed to be over-the-top or have deep, symbolic meaning. Within fiction, people had quickly forgotten what was reality and a considerable standard.

Not everyone lived in a movie.

Despite all that, there was some truth based within movies. College focused films reflected a wide variety of genres, and no matter what happened, there was always at least one party on the screen. All sorts of problems could occur from attending a college party, and even if that fictional basis was all he had to go off of, it was convincing enough to make him want to stay back in his dorm and away from it all.

Unfortunately for Kei, his life was currently playing out like a college movie.

Kei sat on the ledge of the window in the living room. It was wide enough to support a good amount of his weight while having his other foot planted on the ground. The city outside was lit up in dim color, mostly yellow lights sifting out through curtains and blinds in other people’s living rooms.

He wanted to be back in his dorm room with its blank concrete walls, headache-inducing fluorescent lights, and stale disinfectant air. At least there he wouldn’t be bothered by crowded, drunken bodies. In fact, he should be back there. He had a paper due soon and could be spending this time finishing it ahead of schedule.

Instead, he had been forcefully dragged out by his roommate to this party. Kei hated being scolded at. He felt childish and refused to be treated as such by anyone. 

_“Come on, Tsukki! It’s a lot of fun! Besides, it’s nearly the end of our freshman year and you haven’t been to a party once. How can you judge that, huh?”_

Annoying.

Kei did not need to attend a college party to understand that they were a waste of time. But he needed to prove his point to Yamaguchi. He could say he had been to one and there would be nothing else he could say about it.

Maybe he could spend his next three years in peace.

He doubted it.

Yamaguchi would probably still barge into their room like he did earlier and look him dead in the eye and say:

“We’re going out tonight.”

Kei would look up from his carefully organized textbooks and notes with his laptop in hand and narrow his eyes at him. “Why?”

“Because I said so,” he would argue, which would be pointless because there was no basis in that argument. 

Raising an eyebrow, Kei would just ignore him and go back to studying for that history exam he knew he would have that week because there wasn’t ever a quiz, test, paper, or exam he didn’t have marked on his calendar. He liked to keep things efficient. 

“Tsukkiiii,” Yamaguchi would whine and approach Kei’s bed before face planting at the end, turning his head to pout at him. “You need to get out sometime! See the world. Meet new people.”

It would be an unconvincing argument still.

“I don’t need to do anything really,” Kei would tell him as he flipped through a few pages in one of his textbooks, “but society has decided that I at least need to spend four more years in school for a piece of paper that will dictate my entire future. So here we are.”

Yamaguchi would lift his head at that, like he did every time, and blink at him with an entirely impassive and blank expression. “You,” he would start, “are a buzzkill.”

Kei would just click his tongue in response because that was what he did when he didn’t really want to respond. It always gave the right impression anyways.

“Don’t think of this as a college party!”

Kei would finally just stare at Yamaguchi. What else would he think? Most parties were off-campus and filled with college students. Thus, college party.

“Oh don’t give me that look,” he would flip his hand through the air. “No, we’re going to congratulate a friend on their winning game!”

“Including Kageyama and Hinata into these plans is not convincing.”

“Don’t be like that, Tsukki. You like them,” Yamaguchi would poke his knee, huffing up at him, “It’ll be fun for all of us.”

“We’re not even in the same school.”

“Even more reason to go out _tonight_ and see them.”

Kei would just scrunch up his face at that. Sure, he could tolerate the pair better after spending so much time with them in high school, but he had enjoyed his time away from them too. There hadn’t been that constant breathing down his neck…

Yamaguchi would hold up a finger and look Kei in the eyes, gaze steady and unyielding. “One hour. Just spend one hour at a party, and I’ll leave it alone forever.”

And that would cause Kei to blink at him.

It was a trap.

Whenever Yamaguchi would bargain with him, Kei would always get the short end of the stick. However, he was also tired of the back and forth. If one measly hour would get him off his back, then it could be doable.

“Fine.”

And just like that, Yamaguchi had gotten Kei out to a college party. Everything else that followed after was just as typical. Once they had gotten to the apartment, Yamaguchi was being whisked away by Keidai students - he easily made friends even from other schools - and practically ditched his best friend all within the first ten minutes of arriving.

That was how Kei found himself by the window far away from the bigger crowds of people. He had made himself a drink, briefly visiting the hell hole that was the kitchen, and secluded away to where he would not be bothered. He just had to last an hour and then he could claim victory and leave.

Although...did he even have to wait the full hour?

If Yamaguchi was busy with other people, what was stopping Kei from just leaving now and texting his roommate in an hour to tell him never to drag him to another college party? It would be easy enough to pull, considering how packed, dim, and loud the apartment was.

Kei pulled out his phone with his free hand to do just that when someone had bumped into him, sending his phone flying onto the floor. His drink teetered in his other hand, nearly spilling down his shirt, and he tossed a dirty look to the pressing bodies - though no one paid him any mind.

He clicked his tongue in irritation as he went to search for his phone, hoping no one would step on it.

People danced with heavy feet and swaying bodies created a hypnotic rhythm, easily knocking Kei’s slightly uncoordinated frame around. He was intently focused on the possible trajectory of his phone to properly move with the crowd, getting knocked around and actually splashing a few others with his drink still in hand.

Fuck this.

Here was a perfectly good reason for not wanting to go to a college party. He made sure to bank this point for future arguments with Yamaguchi.

Finally, he spotted his phone in the midst of boots and heels, relieved to see it in one piece so far, and went to grab it. 

However someone else’s hand had beaten him to it as their fingers brushed - Kei just barely missed it. His eyes landed on black sneakers before making their way up the very long, denim-clad legs and meeting familiar mischievous, golden eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Kuroo Tetsurou waved Kei’s phone beside his face with a goofy, lopsided smile. His cheeks were lightly flushed and there was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

Kei had been aware that he chose to go to school in Tokyo. He knew that the probability of Kuroo leaving Tokyo was low. And yet, he didn’t think that he would ever cross paths with Nekoma’s ex-captain again.

But here they were.

“I think you dropped this,” Kuroo told him, having to raise his voice to speak over the loud house music. He held out the phone in his hand, but Kei made no move to grab it.

His eyes were still locked onto Kuroo’s.

“Here,” Kuroo took Kei’s free hand and placed the phone in his palm, slowly closing Kei’s fingers around the device.

Kei looked down at his phone dumbly before dragging his eyes back to look at Kuroo once more. When their eyes met again, Kuroo was much closer now, encroaching on Kei’s personal space. Kuroo kept his hand over Kei’s as he leaned in to place his mouth close to his ear. He smelled like cinnamon.

Kuroo’s voice came out steady and low, cutting straight through the pulse pounding bass around them, “Let’s catch up.”

Kei took a step back from him, needing room to breathe. Kuroo always had this annoying habit of showing up when Kei least expected him. It was irritating and always spiked his blood pressure, making his heart beat out of control and heat crawl up his spine.

Kuroo took a step forward, his smile still plastered on his face, and despite the smell of alcohol on his breath, his eyes were sharply in focus.

Sighing, Kei just spun on his heel and turned back around to head towards his previous spot by the window. He didn’t need to say anything to Kuroo, feeling his eyes on the back of his head as they weaved through the mass of bodies. Once free of the crowd, Kei quickly downed the rest of his Khalua and milk (the only good drink in his book) and sat back down on the window ledge.

Kei could feel the cold glass against his back, bleeding through his light sweater and t-shirt underneath. It felt nice in contrast to the rising warmth of the entire room.

Kuroo took a seat beside Kei, bumping their knees together, and were practically shoulder to shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind the closeness, though Kei could feel his own skin prickle from the contact.

He kept his eyes trained forward on the floor, not wanting to make any more eye contact with Kuroo.

“So, Tsukki -”

“Tsukishima.”

“- what have you been up to? You’re going to Keidai now?” Kuroo inquired as he leaned his head back against the glass.

“No,” came Kei’s quick response.

“But you go to school in Tokyo.” 

It wasn’t a question.

Kei nodded, readjusting his glasses on his face.

Kuroo hummed at that but didn’t push further. Kei looked over to see Kuroo’s eyes were closed and the corner of his mouth was upturned, teasing a smirk. He started to wonder how long had Kuroo been at the party and possibly how many drinks he could have had.

Kuroo peeked an eye open, and Kei straightened his back in response.

“You still play?”

Kei clicked his tongue, a nervous tick, and crossed his arms. “What kind of question is that?”

“Ha,” Kuroo snorted, “I knew it. You’re still a junkie like the rest of us.”

He could feel his face heat up at the accusation, but Kuroo wasn’t exactly wrong. He enjoyed playing volleyball, sure. There was an excited thrill whenever he could outsmart an opponent and knock them into place - and winning was an indescribable high - but Kuroo didn't need to know everything. 

Junkies could get rehab.

Kuroo stretched his arms out, splaying his fingers as he wiped them in the air, “Tsukki! Middle Blocker Extraordinaire!” 

Kei rolled his eyes.

“But,” Kuroo turned his eyes back to stare at him, “I haven’t seen you at all this season.”

Kei pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before forcing a smile to spread across his face. He could feel it pull tight, unnatural against his cheeks. “Why would such a lowly freshman like me play first string?”

Kuroo just blinked at him and didn’t say anything. Kei could feel the stretch in his face start to give. The effort wasn’t worth it.

“My academic studies come first,” Kei finally told him.

“You must be bored.”

Kei narrowed his eyes at him, but he only gained that same old lopsided grin in return. Kuroo leaned forward and ran a hand through his perpetual bedhead. How his fingers didn’t get stuck would forever be a mystery.

“I know I’m not wrong,” Kuroo insisted. “Second string games are just...boring. You could totally balance school on a first string schedule.”

“I also work.”

“Okay.”

“And sleeping is also a part of a healthy schedule.”

“I know.”

Kei deadpanned, his face falling flat while Kuroo’s only seemed to get cockier by the second. 

Between classes, homework, and work, Kei was already trying to juggle things. Practices were a nice distraction, but they were also built into the routine, precisely timed because the second string wasn’t required to perform as much as the first. If he tried out, competed with top tier players, Kei knew he would be required to be in more practices, dedicate more time to the gym, and have far more games scheduled throughout the semester. 

It sounded exhilarating.

Kuroo bumped his knee against Kei’s and smirked, “You’re missing out, Tsukki. It could be like old times going up against each other.”

“You remember the last time we played against each other?” He cocked an eyebrow. “You lost terribly.”

Kuroo tossed his head back and roared with laughter. “What? No way! It was a close match, and you know it.”

“Tch,” was all Kei replied with.

He caught Kuroo staring at him again. Those golden eyes were almost predatory with how carefully they watched him move. He had always looked at Kei with that exact stare since hunting him down at their first training camp. No matter what he did or said, Kei just couldn’t shake the feeling he was always going to be harrassed from that gaze alone.

Kei couldn’t look away.

“You don’t go to Keidai.”

Kuroo quirked an eyebrow at that statement. “No, I don’t.”

More staring.

“But I do like a good party,” Kuroo hummed before breaking eye contact, tilting his head back against the window once more and elongating his neck.

Kuroo hadn’t really changed much over the years, broadening out in his shoulders and maintaining his athletic physique. He was all lean, solid muscle, non-threatening from afar and extremely intimidating up close. His clothes did little to hide that truth right now as his white shirt was pulled taut by his shoulders and rode up to reveal a sliver of pale skin above his hip.

The last time Kei saw Kuroo was about a couple of months ago before graduating from his third year when Karasuno played against Nekoma for the last time - a practice game before nationals. Everyone came out to that game, and afterwards, they all lingered to discuss the match and catch up. Kuroo had obviously come out to see Haiba-san and all the other former Nekoma first years, but he had given Kei an equal amount of attention.

It hadn’t been so bad.

“Out here to see Chibi-chan?” Kuroo asked, his tone was playful.

“Not particularly,” Kei rolled his eyes. “Are you?”

Kuroo smirked, “Not particularly, but Kenma was invited. He still didn’t want to come though, so I took up the offer instead. Not the first Keidai party I’ve crashed~” 

He winked at him, smug expression plastered in place.

Kei could feel his eye twitch.

“Tora and Lev are around here somewhere too,” Kuroo waved his hand towards the kitchen before shrugging. “Thought I’d pop by and tell ‘em how I’ll sweep the floor with them next time~”

“You’re still full of it.”

“Thank you~” He hummed appreciatively.

“Whatever,” Kei sighed, shaking his head as he looked ahead into the swaying bodies of the living room. His mind drifted to the hypnotic rhythm of the music and could feel his shoulders relax a bit. If he was going to stay any longer, he was going to need another drink.

Kuroo picked himself up and leaned forward, tilting his head to the side to look up at Kei through his fringe. He seemed closer than before. Kei could see the little flecks of yellow that made Kuroo’s hazel eyes golden in almost every possible light and the delicate sweep of his lashes against his cheek when he blinked. Kuroo was supposed to be all sharp angles and rigid muscles, striking immediate attention wherever he was, but he was also smooth planes and gentle features - something Kei only saw whenever the boundaries of personal space blurred. His eyes drifted carefully over Kuroo’s face, shifting from his eyes to his cheeks and falling onto his lips.

Kei just wanted to reach out -

“- with anybody?”

Blink.

Kuroo had been speaking. He paused after his question before quirking his mouth up into that signature cheshire grin of his.

“Huh?” responded Kei intelligently.

“I said,” Kuroo slowed his words, enunciating carefully to maintain Kei’s attention, “are you here with anybody?”

Kei managed to mouth out a silent “oh” before clearing his throat. He should have guessed the question. “Just my roommate.”

Kuroo hummed, a pleasant noise Kei was beginning to notice, before he flicked his eyes to Kei’s mouth. With this proximity, there was no mistaking the glance. “I see,” he said simply, licking his lips.

Kei swallowed as he became aware of the temperature in the room. He could feel his skin flush red hot and suddenly wanted nothing more than to stick his face in a bucket of ice water. He could feel how closely pressed they were, thigh against thigh and shoulder to shoulder, and if that wasn’t enough, Kuroo had subtly placed his hand on Kei’s knee, lightly running his nails over the worn denim and sending a shiver up his spine.

Kuroo continued to look up at him. His eyes looked to be weighing something, giving pause before his mouth could beat him to whatever ideas were swimming in that head of his.

The surrounding music drained out of Kei’s ears and was replaced by the rapid pounding of his heart.

“Can I kiss you?”

Pause.

He had options in front of him: 

1) he could say no. That would be the end of all this unnecessary harassment, which when momentarily thinking about it seemed kind of...anti-climatic. 

2) he could just leave. No one was stopping him, and it would be interesting to see Kuroo become the speechless one for once. What would Kuroo do? 

Or 3) he could say yes and live out an old, silly high school crush (something he thought he had gotten over but clearly curiosity stuck around).

Kei felt the click of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. 

How stupid.

Kei craned his neck down and captured Kuroo’s lips without saying anything. Kuroo gasped into his mouth, surprised as if he hadn’t been the one to suggest it, but quickly recovered, bringing his hand up to slide against Kei’s jaw as his thumb swiped along his cheek. He pressed up into Kei’s mouth, his tongue running over his bottom lip, to coax Kei to open further and he did. His lips parted easily to let the soft glide of Kuroo’s tongue dip inside and explore whatever he could reach.

He released a hard huff through his nose as he felt his back hit the corner of the window. He could taste the spicy whiskey still on Kuroo’s breath as he kissed hot and heavy. His blood felt like fire scorching through his veins, feeling Kuroo’s hand resting at the back of his neck, keeping him locked into place. Kei had a tight hold of Kuroo’s t-shirt, attempting to pull him closer, confronting that hunger that started to growl in his chest.

Kuroo Tetsurou was as irritating as he was attractive. 

A year ago, Kei did not want to admit to having a crush on Nekoma’s former captain. He had been more trouble than he was worth, pestering Kei about practices, techniques, and even asking about future college plans all the while observing him with that predatory stare of his. He was relentless, and Kei had never been sure as to why someone like Kuroo held any interest in someone like him. He couldn’t catch a break.

Kuroo knew just how to dig under his skin and make Kei want to snap.

Kei pushed back against Kuroo’s mouth, teeth sinking into his bottom lip and slowly tugging back. Kuroo sighed, dropping his jaw so that Kei could dive right back in and claim his mouth with hot, open kisses. He pushed into Kuroo as he pulled him by his shirt, wanting to feel the weight of him against his chest.

Kuroo followed every action of Kei’s lead, which Kei hadn’t expected. With the way Kuroo constantly teased and tormented Kei, he thought he wouldn’t have any control at all and be subjected to making a fool of himself. But it wasn’t Kei who was making those little gasps and noises, practically whining as they pulled back to gather air into their lungs.

“Tsukki,” Kuroo’s voice rasped, struggling to be anything more than gone.

Kei could see the red tinge to Kuroo’s cheeks and caught his half-lidded stare, his own heaving stuttering for a moment.

Kuroo’s hand never left the back of Kei’s neck, even when they parted to breathe. His fingers played with the few wisps of hair there before he subtly applied pressure and brought Kei’s face closer to his again. Another smirk touched his face as he dipped his head to place a kiss at the juncture of Kei’s jaw and neck.

His body shuddered immediately.

Keeping his hand in place, Kuroo trailed kisses wherever skin was exposed, nipping his way down the expanse of Kei’s neck, and Kei could feel the dig of accentuated canines. It wasn’t quite biting so much as it was an idea - a tease.

Kei released a shaky breath as Kuroo made his way to suck just below his ear. His skin buzzed wherever Kuroo kissed him, and he swore he was going to go deaf from the incessant pounding pulse of blood in his ears.

His hand reached out and found purchase on top of Kuroo’s thigh, moving his fingers along his inner seam as Kuroo added more pressure with his teeth, humming against Kei’s throat. Kei could feel Kuroo’s cock eagerly twitch in his pants - his own desire now spiking red-hot all throughout his body, screaming for more more more without a second thought.

“K...Kuroo,” Kei internally cursed for his voice to come out so hesitantly, attempting to bite back a groan.

Kuroo hummed in acknowledgement, but he didn’t stop. He made his way back up to Kei’s face, kissing along his jaw and every stretch of skin to the corner of his mouth, before recapturing Kei’s lips and pulling a throaty moan from him. 

Kei’s other hand came up to the back of Kuroo’s head, tangling his long fingers in Kuroo’s rather surprisingly soft bedhead, and lightly rapped his fingertips, teasing at his scalp. Kuroo shuddered against Kei’s fingers before slowing his pace down to languidly kiss at his bottom lip, melting against the soft drumming. He wanted something. Kuroo seemed expectant of it, so Kei did the only thing that came to mind and locked his fingers deeper in Kuroo’s roots.

And _pulled_.

A moan ripped through Kuroo’s throat involuntarily as Kei yanked Kuroo’s head away from the window. He watched as Kuroo’s eyes fluttered closed and his breathing increased, panting from the pleasant pressure against his scalp. His cheeks were still red - maybe even redder? - and his shoulders reflexively relaxed.

Oh fuck.

Kei held him as he froze in place.

Kuroo’s eyes finally opened, all dark except for the thin golden circle around his blown pupils, and stared at him with practically pleading eyes. Experimentally, Kei tightened his hold in Kuroo’s hair again, and almost immediately, Kuroo’s eyes fluttered close as his lips parted on a sigh.

He had to suppress a shudder. Not only did it seem Kuroo liked his hair pulled, he wanted it, and finally, _finally_ that look of utter arrogance was wiped from his face. 

“Um…”

Someone cleared their throat beside them.

Kei dropped his hand from Kuroo’s head immediately, feeling his eyes widen at the interruption and reminding him that they weren’t alone. 

They were at a party. 

He had just been caught making out with Kuroo Tetsurou at a college party. What the hell had gotten into him?

Kuroo closed his eyes and rubbed at the back of his neck before turning his head to see what this person wanted. “Oh,” his voice came out husky, but he sounded amused, “Chibi-chan.”

Blinking, Kei glanced over to see Hinata who was a little red in the face and scratching sheepishly at his cheek. He didn’t quite meet either of their eyes.

“What’s up?” Kuroo leaned against the window, slowly stretching a smile across his face. He clearly wasn’t bothered at all by what just happened.

“Oh,” Hinata coughed, blinking rapidly, “well, um, Daishou-senpai is…”

Kei noticed the way Hinata’s eyes nervously flitted between him and Kuroo, obviously hung up about something.

Kuroo gave an irritated click, rolling his eyes in time too. “Don’t call him _-senpai_. It just inflates his ego.”

“Right, well, Daishou-senpai is getting a bit out of control and I can’t find Yamamoto anywhere. He usually deals with him when he gets like this.”

Sighing heavily, Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, “Alright...give me a minute and I’ll cut him off.”

Relief instantly washed through Hinata’s face, and the grin that followed was nearly blinding. “Thanks Kuroo!” He shouted before taking off towards the kitchen.

_Well, that was fun._

Kuroo held out his hand, palm up, and looked to Kei, smug sobriety returning in full force as if nothing had changed.

Kei blinked, looking between Kuroo’s hand and face.

“Your phone,” instructed Kuroo, quirking an eyebrow up as if the gesture was universal.

Carefully, Kei pulled out his recently retrieved phone and narrowed his eyes before handing it over. He watched as Kuroo’s shoulders silently shook, containing laughter, and his fingers tapped along the screen - ah, that’s right. Kei never officially saved Kuroo’s contact, knowing that the long string of numbers was just inherently his whenever unprompted messages came through. He didn’t have it memorized, but Kei wouldn’t exactly deny that he wouldn’t recognize the number either. When Kuroo handed the device back, Kei saw his contact finally had a name with a singular message sent underneath reading “Call me” and a winking emoji beside it.

Kei felt his face heat up and quickly snapped his eyes up to meet Kuroo’s.

He was closer now than he had been a second ago, completely invading in whatever personal space Kei had won back. Kei had to force himself not to flinch back and reign in the sudden shiver that wanted to run down his back. Kuroo had stuck an arm out to cage Kei against the window while his free hand tipped Kei’s face back by his chin, allowing Kuroo to lean in and leave a cursory, departing kiss.

“Don’t be a stranger, Tsukki,” Kuroo’s voice muddled through the brief stoppage of time it took for Kei to regain some semblance of coherency.

He tried to play it off, though, and rolled his eyes, going for unimpressed.

Kuroo must have found it amusing because he simply chuckled before walking away, dissolving into the crowd that blocked passage to the kitchen.

Kei had watched him leave, marking the broad expanse of his shoulders and finding a bit of pride in his more-than-usual mussed up hair, and just as he vanished among the bodies that was when the noise pierced his ears. Everything was suddenly _too loud_ , and he could feel the bass in the choice of EDM that rumbled through to his very core. The room became stifling as there were too many people now with the smell of alcohol and sweat being the most distinct odors mixing in.

It was just _too much_.

He looked down at his phone still clutched in his hand. It definitely had been more than an hour since Yamaguchi had dragged him to this party, which meant it was more than time to go.

Kei quickly got to his feet and cut through the crowd where it was thinnest. He could still feel the buzzing underneath his skin, urging him to break through and make his escape already. Grabbing his jacket from the hall closet and slipping on his shoes, Kei exited out of the apartment and didn’t stop moving until he was completely outside, letting the cool November air calm him down.

He pulled out his phone then and immediately opened his thread with Yamaguchi.

**To Yamaguchi:**  
_Hour is up. Heading back now._  
[00:26]

Yup, more than an hour, but he wasn’t wrong. His original agreement had been met, which meant he no longer had an obligation to stay.

Kei had walked all the way to the train station, just a couple of blocks away, before he felt the buzz in his pocket. He knew it was Yamaguchi responding back without having to look at it. He knew Yamaguchi would find his way back to the dorm if he didn’t crash with either Hinata or Kageyama for the night, so his mind wasn’t too occupied by that.

Instead, he couldn’t stop thinking about a pair of golden eyes, sharp canines against his throat, and the soft feel of mussed up hair between his fingers.

* * *

Living in the provided housing on campus was an experience to say the least. Strangers were crammed together in one building sharing all sorts of living spaces. It could have been worse though. They were lucky enough to have space in their room for a small alcove with a counter where they kept their microwave oven and mini fridge and a little extra storage underneath in the cabinet. Their room happened to also be on the first floor, which meant no excessive stairs or having to worry about elevator repairs, and they had quiet upstairs neighbors.

Luckiest of all, Kei didn’t have to worry about having a stranger for his roommate.

Neither Yamaguchi nor Kei told the other what universities they were applying to until rather late in their third year. It had all been by coincidence, but after talking, they both agreed to apply as each other’s roommates before assignments were given out. Living with a stranger had to have been at the top of Kei’s _“What I Don’t Want to Experience at College”_ list.

And parties.

The less Kei had to interact with infernal idiots the better. He knew it was impossible to avoid such people completely, but going to parties was definitely a choice he had a say in.

And making out with high school crushes at said party was another choice.

Not for the first time today, Kei sighed heavily. He had just gotten back from class and toed off his shoes at the front door. He placed his school bag down on his bed, which was pressed to the one corner of the room, and dipped into the small alcove to retrieve a soda from the fridge. Glancing at the time on their little oven, Kei knew Yamaguchi was still in class. 

They usually ate together on Wednesday nights - nothing fancy, sometimes just heading down the block to the convenience store or to the small diner a few blocks over. Kei had practice on Mondays and Tuesdays, work on Thursdays and Sundays, and generally second string games were held on Fridays. There were optional practices in the evenings and even second string players were encouraged to attend, but Kei didn’t have much intent on putting in that extra effort right now. He didn’t have a particularly packed schedule, but by now, it had become his routine.

He went back over to his bed and pulled out his laptop from his bag, bringing it over to his desk to start on some homework. He had a lab write up assigned for Friday, but there was time to get that done before Yamaguchi even came back. Sitting down at his desk, Kei already felt more productive, turning on his laptop and plugging in his phone, as he pulled out everything else he needed.

School had never been particularly hard for Kei. Recall came easily, and information just stuck. He liked certain subjects over others, yes, like history, literature, and math, but he could also do without the harshness of others like physics and chemistry. For subjects that encouraged exploration, they were rather rigorous in how they needed to be executed.

Kei opened up his notes and scanned over his own handwriting. As he tried to focus on the chemical breakdowns, he had a strong feeling to check his phone.

He didn’t message many people, mainly Yamaguchi, and once in a while replied to their old Karasuno group chat - the one Yamaguchi made up for them, Hinata, Kageyama, and Yachan. Despite that, Kei still found himself glancing at the darkened screen, expecting something to pop up, and a part of him was hoping it wasn’t the group chat.

That irritating itch that something was going to happen had been subtly eating at him all week, all too aware of the device drawing his attention more often than usual.

Kei reigned in the need to check his phone as he refocused on his school work, eventually finding a good rhythm to analyze his data and write it up cohesively. He still had one more class before the end of the week and knew they would be adding more notes, so Kei made sure to leave some areas to fill in later. He also figured he should check in with his lab partner just to double check their work. He lucked out having someone who wanted to fact check as much as he did.

When Kei picked up his phone, it vibrated to life and the tiny light in the corner flashed on and off to indicate a new message.

 _Finally_ , he thought to himself, feeling the knot in his chest loosen just a bit. He could handle the idiotic conversations from their chat; he just chose not to most of the time. Picking up his phone, Kei opened up to his messages and blinked when he saw that the message wasn’t from either Yamaguchi or the group chat.

**From Kuroo (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧:**  
_Thinking about me~?_  
[18:01]

Kei deadpanned at his phone as if he could easily picture the tomcat right in front of him before scoffing at the device. The bold arrogance was just impossible sometimes. He debated whether or not to respond.

First, he had to delete that emoji.

Maybe that would teach him a thing or two.

Maybe.

**To Kuroo:**  
_No._  
[18:40]

He hadn’t quite thought the next course of action through because Kuroo’s replies came faster than anyone could have processed.

**From Kuroo:**  
_Awwwwwww Tsukkiii~  
Don’t be like that!  
I knew you were. I felt it~_  
[18:41]

 **To Kuroo:**  
_That’s ridiculous._  
[18:42]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_（＊〇□〇）……！  
You wound me Tsukki~_  
[18:42]

Kei rolled his eyes at the screen. He had been rather focused on his usual routine these last few days that he had managed to push Kuroo from his mind for the most part.

**From Kuroo:**  
_What are you wearing??_  
[18:45]

Kei felt his eye twitch involuntarily.

**To Kuroo:**  
_What do you want?_  
[18:46]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_I’m boooooored  
ლ(｡-﹏-｡ ლ)  
I wanna talk to somebody (ˊ̥̥̥̥̥ ³ ˋ̥̥̥̥̥)  
Sooooooooo  
What are you wearing??  
(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧_  
[18:48]

 **To Kuroo:**  
_You’re impossible. I’m not answering that._  
[18:48]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_Ohoho??  
What? Did I catch you getting out of the shower or something?  
☆～（ゝ。∂）_  
[18:50]

Kei glared at his phone and hoped it burned right through the screen. He wanted Kuroo to feel just how much he was done with this conversation. It was all teasing anyways. Kuroo had always been all talk, trying to get under Kei’s skin, and just wanted to rile him up either way, but Kei wasn’t falling for it.

That would mean trouble.

He put his phone down, not responding to the previous message, and got up to get another can of soda. Leaving Kuroo on read for a few minutes would do him some good.

When Kei sat back down, he saw the familiar light indicating new messages. He decided to hold off for another couple of minutes, listening as his phone vibrated each time a new response came in. Once he was greeted by a moment of silence, that was when he decided to pick up his phone.

**From Kuroo:**  
_Awwwwww Tsukki don’t be like that!  
I was kidding!_  
[18:53]

 _I’m sorry??  
( •᷄⌓•᷅ )  
(｡•́︿•̀｡)_  
[18:55]

 _Tsuuuuuuuukkiiiiiiiiii  
I really am sorry!  
Please talk to me??  
I promise I won’t make things weird!  
Okay...I can’t really promise that, but I’ll do my best??_  
[18:58]

 _Tsukki?  
(｡´･д･)o_  
[19:02]

 **To Kuroo:**  
_Nothing weird._  
[19:02]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_TSUKKIIIIII!  
You got it!_  
[19:03]

Kei sighed, shaking his head as he knew that promise wasn’t going to last. This was Kuroo after all. He always had to make things...weird.

**To Kuroo:**  
_What did you want to talk about?_  
[19:04]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_What are you doing right now?_  
[19:04]

Kei narrowed his eyes, dubious as to where this was going.

**To Kuroo:**  
_Homework._  
[19:05]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_So you’re free?  
Can I call you?_  
[19:05]

He blinked at the thread. Texting back and forth was one thing. It was manageable and Kei could easily ignore Kuroo if he got too irritated - exhibit A already presented - but a phone call was a different story.

Kei swallowed dryly as he contemplated the question. Suddenly he was thrown back into that overheated apartment and pressed up against the glass window. He could feel the press of Kuroo’s body as his mind conjured up the sensations left by Kuroo’s lips against his throat, twisting his fingers into Kuroo’s shirt.

Thankfully, he was the only one in the room because the soft wheeze that left his mouth caught even him off guard. Kei slipped his fingers under his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing his body to calm down.

This wasn’t a good idea.

**To Kuroo:**  
_Sure._  
[19:09]

He placed his phone down as soon as he sent the message and felt his heart beat into overdrive. Before he could overthink or rescind the invite, his phone was already buzzing to life with Kuroo’s name boldly blinking up at him.

“What are you wearing?” Kuroo teased as soon as Kei picked up the call.

And like that Kei was cured.

“I’m hanging up.”

“No, no, no, no! Sorry! Bad joke!” Kuroo frantically backtracked, a nervous chuckle dying on the receiver.

“Kuroo,” Kei sighed heavily, “you said you wanted to talk. I usually don’t condone useless conversations, so please don’t waste my time.”

There was a pause on the other end, some shuffling and hushed voices could be heard in the background, and then the sound of a heavy door being pushed open. “I’m sorry, Tsukki,” came Kuroo’s voice, soft and too honest, “I really do want to talk.”

Once again, Kei was thankful for being the only one in the room because he was sure he was blushing. Kuroo teased and flirted, and he did whatever else he could to get Kei’s attention - good or bad didn’t matter - so the genuine gentleness of his tone threw Kei off.

“Tch,” was his intelligent response, clicking his tongue out of habit.

Kuroo chuckled at that, low and rumbling in Kei’s ear. He was walking outside now, judging from the familiar city sounds bustling in the background of the call.

“So what,” Kei figured he could indulge in this once, “did you want to talk about?”

He could practically hear the smile in Kuroo’s voice as he spoke, “Oh man, where do I start?”

 _Could start with what happened after the party_ , Kei thought to himself, listening to Kuroo hum on the other end. He had to stop himself at that though. What did he care for anyway? If he had wanted to talk to Kuroo, Kei had his number.

And anyways, they were talking now.

“Well, I guess I’m still sorta bummed about our loss this weekend.”

Kei blinked, “Loss? You played this weekend?”

Kuroo gave another hum on his end. Kei was beginning to think it was a thoughtful habit before Kuroo found the right words to say. “Yeah,” he finally answered, “against Keidai.”

Kei had to take a moment for that. If Kuroo’s team had played against Keidai and lost, why was he at the Keidai celebration party last weekend? That made no logical sense whatsoever. No one in their right mind would get invited let alone go to a winning team’s victory party.

“You’re a masochist,” Kei told him.

Kuroo just laughed, bright and unoffended, on the other end, “Maybe.”

Kei listened as Kuroo began to talk about the Todai versus Keidai match last Saturday, deciding to move from his desk to his bed as he knew he wasn’t going to be working on any more homework. His bed was tucked away in the corner of the room with Yamaguchi’s directly opposite of his. He situated himself so that he was comfortably pressed against the plaster wall, acknowledging the events being mapped out by Kuroo. Kei was able to pick up a few names here and there like Bokuto-san, who sounded as eccentric in games as he remembered, and Oikawa-san whose name Kei was sure he would never forget - his brain also added a note of Iwaizumi-san being on the first string team at his own school at Sodai.

Kuroo could easily talk on the phone, sounding animated and enthusiastic. Kei was sure that even if the conversation wasn’t about volleyball there would have been no difference. There was a smooth cadence to his voice that made him easy to listen to as well, which only gave more reason for Kei to not participate in the conversation.

It was pleasant.

Comfortable.

He also found out that Kuroo’s team was invited to participate in a small exhibition tournament in February. It wasn’t going to count towards the new season at all, but nonetheless, Kuroo sounded rather excited.

“- and it’ll be a good opportunity for scouts, though I don’t think the others are thinking about that yet.”

“Kuroo,” Kei interrupted him, letting his name slip without much thought as to why.

“Hm?” 

All the while he had been talking, Kuroo had been walking around outside. He had clearly been doing something before the call, and Kei would have guessed he was on his way back to his apartment; but there was nothing to discern from the background noises. No train, no bus chatter, not even a car radio was playing to tip him off. 

It was November, and the very thought of being outside right now made Kei shiver. How long had Kuroo been walking outside for?

It was cold.

“Why did you call me?” 

If it wasn’t for the shallow breathing on the other line, Kei would have thought Kuroo hung up on him. It took a moment before soft chuckles sounded over the receiver, “I...wanted to hear your voice?”

Kei rolled his eyes, “Try again.”

Kuroo laughed a bit more before falling off on a sigh. Kei kept the phone pressed to his ear, listening for the littlest change in his voice. He wasn’t going to let Kuroo wiggle his way out of his question.

“Well, talking is easier than texting,” Kuroo pointed out before clearing his throat, “but I, uh, wanted to see you again. A run in at a victory party isn’t exactly catching up, you know.”

 _It’s hard to catch up when there’s a tongue being shoved down your throat._

But he didn’t say that. Instead, Kei quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? You were serious about that?”

“Of course I was serious!” sputtered Kuroo, a spark of injury edging his voice. “Tsukki, when was the last time we hung out together?”

“Never.”

“Exac - wait! That’s not true,” he insisted, “we’ve...hung out after games before. And I’ve given you pointers!”

Rolling his eyes, Kei just sighed into the phone, “Kuroo, that was back in high school.”

“So?”

“So,” Kei continued, keeping his tone as neutral as he possibly could, “that was a long time ago.”

“Ha!” Kuroo barked out a laugh, “Now who sounds like an old man?”

“Kuroo.”

“How about this,” Kuroo continued, pressing the issue further, “why don’t we start over then? Tear off a fresh page and all that.”

Kei furrowed his brows as he stared at a spot on the floor. He was determined Kuroo didn’t know the word “no.” Did he honestly think they had been friends? Acquaintances, sure, but if it hadn’t been for volleyball, they would never have met. Kuroo was all arrogance and superiority, thinking he knew better and he was always right. Kei couldn’t stand people like that - people like himself. They were usually more trouble than what they were worth.

“Start over,” Kei whispered, turning the idea over in his head.

What would happen if he said no?

He could be rid of the annoying obligation of speaking with Kuroo whenever they ran into each other. He could go back to forgetting about Kuroo’s existence entirely and shuffle through the rest of his life without any disruptions from him. Everything would be peaceful and worry-free from whether or not Kuroo was going to just pop back into focus. 

This was his out.

“Tsukki?”

He realized he hadn’t answered Kuroo, and by the questionable “Tsukki” he could hear the strain and nerves in his voice.

“I suppose that could work,” Kei finally agreed

Kuroo huffed out another laugh, concealing the relieved sigh, “You suppose? What kind of answer is that, Tsukki?”

Kei decided that Kuroo had a rather honest phone voice. He played off that silent tension as if it hadn’t been a big deal, but Kei had heard the waver in his tone. It was impossible not to notice when he spoke so closely.

“An honest one,” replied Kei. “We didn’t have much of a friendship to start with. There isn’t a need to start over, but if that is what you want, I suppose we could do that too.”

Kuroo gasped, “You _do_ like me!”

Kei stilled immediately, feeling his face burn at the exclamation. “What? That’s ridiculous. You’re annoying.”

“Aw, come on, Tsukki,” amusement overtook Kuroo’s tone, “You gotta like me a little bit. You wouldn’t have picked up the phone if you didn’t.”

“I’m hanging up.”

Kuroo just continued to laugh, and Kei couldn’t exactly say he hated the sound. There were plenty of things that easily annoyed him - overzealous volleyball players, overly cheery morning people, and fingerprint smudges on his glasses just to name a few - but the sound of Kuroo’s laughter in his ear? That...was fine. Tolerable.

“So...how busy are you?” asked Kuroo.

Kei sighed, knowing he had lost this battle the moment he picked up the phone. “I can’t do anything this week, but I am free next Wednesday.”

“Wednesday?”

“Does that not work?”

“No, no, no,” Kuroo quickly replied. “I can do Wednesday. Is five okay?”

As Kei thought about the time, he heard Yamaguchi unlocking their door. He came inside and toed out of his shoes by the front as usual, setting his bag down as he dipped into the alcove and opening the fridge.

“Sorry I’m late!” Yamaguchi’s voice carried over. “Got held up by a groupmate after class. It took me like twenty minutes to -”

Yamaguchi stopped short as he came into the room with a can of soda in hand and noticed Kei on the phone. They made eye contact before Yamaguchi smirked at him. It was a rare sight to see Kei on the phone and Yamaguchi wasn’t on the other end.

“Is that your roommate?” Kuroo’s voice cut back in, refocusing Kei’s attention.

“Yeah,” he could feel his face start to heat up, and it took everything in his power not to blush in front of Yamaguchi right now.

Kei watched as Yamaguchi went over to his side of the room and booted up his computer. He was trying to be nonchalant, keeping his eyes focused ahead of him, but Kei could tell Yamaguchi was listening. He always had a habit of eavesdropping.

“So, you’re not alone anymore?” hummed Kuroo. Kei could practically see the grin stretching across his face. “I see~”

He rolled his eyes at that. 

“Ne, Tsukki,” Kuroo’s voice dipped into a purr, and immediately, he could feel his heart sputter out of rhythm, “what do you wanna do next Wednesday?”

It was an innocent question. In fact, it simply picked up where the conversation had left off before Yamaguchi came back. But Kei knew better. This was _Kuroo_ and for whatever reason his sole mission in life was to try and humiliate Kei at every chance he got.

He swallowed and hoped his voice sounded unaffected, “I don’t care.”

“Oya?”

Kei narrowed his eyes at the floor.

“So you would be okay if I made the decision?” Kuroo hummed again and when he spoke, his voice was quiet, just above a whisper, “Good because I’d love to start where we left off~”

Kei shivered and licked his bottom lip, willing moisture into his dry mouth. 

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi had looked over at him with concern, his smirk a few minutes ago wiped clean off his face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he quickly spat, directing his frustrated embarrassment from Kuroo to Yamaguchi. “Whatever. I’m going.”

“Aw, Tsukki, wai -”

He abruptly cut off Kuroo’s cackling and tossed his phone down onto his bed, practically slamming his head back into the plaster wall. It stung and he winced when he made contact, but the pain thankfully distracted him from the heat crawling up the back of his neck.

It was probably a minute before Yamaguchi’s voice cut back in, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Fantastic,” said Kei in the emptiest tone he could muster.

Yamaguchi took the bait because he simply chuckled back, “Okay, Tsukki,” and turned back around to face his computer.

Kei looked down at his phone and saw a new message had appeared. It was most likely from Kuroo, so he would get back to him later. Maybe. If he felt like it.

He heaved a sigh as he got up from his bed and stretched his arms up above his head. Yamaguchi took this as his cue to also get up, getting ready to head out. When they were about to leave the dorm room, Yamaguchi’s eyes caught Kei’s - something _knowing_ twinkling there.

“So,” Yamaguchi’s smirk returned, “you got a hot date?”

Kei’s face instantly flared red hot. There was no suppressing it this time, so he quickly turned away, opened the door, and huffed, “Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

It wasn’t a date.

* * *

Wherever they were, it was hot.

Kei could feel his t-shirt cling to his back as he was pressed up against the glass window behind him. His head smacked backwards as they broke apart, lips now trailing down his neck before biting him at the juncture of his shoulder. He gasped reflexively, digging his fingers further into the mess of black hair. Nails found purchase just underneath his shirt where his hips were beginning to get exposed, and he complied by bucking up into the body pressed against his.

He was firm, lean muscle pinning him easily to the window behind them. And though he was strong enough to keep Kei in place, it didn’t hurt. The pressure was comforting, needed even, as Kei found himself wanting to be _closer, closer, closer_ to him until they melted together.

There was no shame here. Kei knew that much. In fact, this felt all too familiar as if they had done this countless times before. There was a dance that his body had memorized.

Kei hooked a leg around his waist, pulling him even closer against his own body and slotting together at just the right angle to draw a low moan from Kei’s lips. He rutted against his partner’s leg, chasing his own pleasure all the while being pampered. The fabric from their pants provided necessary friction, encouraging Kei to keep up his own pace, but it wasn’t what he wanted.

“What _do_ you want?”

He couldn’t say it.

“Tell me, baby. I’ll give it to you.”

Kei practically preened at the rolling purr coming from his mouth. His voice was dipped like honey, oozing such a delectable sweetness into his ear. Kei just tugged a bit harder on the mess of black hair in response.

There was another bite to his neck and as painful bliss blossomed along his spine, his hand found its way through the layers of fabric to stroke his aching cock. Hissing, Kei tossed his head back into the window, but the pleasure outweighed whatever pain would have come if he wasn’t so familiar with this space. He was free from feeling those kinds of distractions.

“I-I want...more,” Kei panted, his eyes fluttering as he could feel fingers slowly make their way up and down the length of his dick. It was agonizingly deliberate.

“Going to have to do better than that.”

He smiled against Kei’s neck. That bastard. Even here, he was smug and controlling and wanted to fuck around with Kei’s head.

Kei released his grip from his hair and moved to cradle his face, bringing his eyes to meet Tsukki’s. Liquid gold was blown back into darkness and the sheer want and desire reflected into those irises made Kei breathless. “I want you.”

His hand stilled and wrapped around the shaft of Kei’s cock, the thumb slowly rolling the budding precum over the head. A cheshire grin spread across his face, flashing dazzlingly sharp canines that had Kei momentarily distracted. He could feel the phantom bite of those teeth still against his neck from just a few seconds ago. 

“Say my name then.”

Another purr and a squeeze to his shaft had Kei whimpering and shuddering in response. He wasn’t going to be able to escape it. 

“Please,” Kei begged - _begged_ dammit. What was wrong with him? He had no choice but to give in and let everything play out.

Like so many times before.

“ _Kuroo_.”

* * *

The week came and went relatively normal. Kei attended his classes, went to practice, took his shifts at work, and even played a game on Sunday - though the crowds were never as impressive as they were for the first string. It didn’t matter much anyways because he was already used to this schedule, quickly adapting to the monotonous pace that an average university student built to accommodate real life expectations. Now that it was Wednesday, however, there was a mild deviation to that routine.

There were a few campuses that seemed to touch along Tokyo, making it feel as if one school bled into another and often allowed varying student bodies to intermingle with one another. There were spaces like restaurants and cafes that gave shelter for these students regardless of what campus they belonged to. Kei wasn’t much to utilize these spaces, preferring to do schoolwork in the confines of his dorm room for maximum focus, but he had agreed to this meeting.

He even picked out the location.

There was a library not too far from his dorm complex that quite a few students from Sodai used to get away from their roommates. Kei knew that it was close enough to the trains that it should have been a viable place. If not, Kuroo could always call off the meeting. And when he thought about that, Kei tried to smother down the sharp pang of disappointment because it wasn’t worth it.

They were simply meeting to catch up. 

Nothing more. 

Nothing less.

Kei rarely studied at the library. Why would he when Yamaguchi was just as focused and barely bothered him? Not to mention those in their hall were also relatively quiet, so there wasn’t a need to seek out alternative shelter. It felt a bit displacing when he entered the library like visiting a different city and having to quickly adapt to the locals. He picked out a table furthest from the doors - buried amongst the old bookshelves - and took out his laptop in hope that no one would unnecessarily bother him here.

It was a quaint space with dim overhead lighting and where smaller lamps sat spaced apart along the elongated, open table tops for students to brighten up their area. He made sure to pick a set of tables that no one else was at, wanting absolute privacy. He made it pertinent that he was strictly there to study. Alone. After all, he only had about an hour or so before he was going to be disrupted. Might as well make use of his time.

Kei sat down and opened up his laptop. He easily connected to the wifi, pulled up the files he was last working on, and got to work. Just because the location changed didn’t mean that he could not stick to his usual routine. There was an English essay due at the end of the week, and he always reserved extra time to thoroughly go over his work.

Ten minutes after arriving, Kei had read over what he’d written last time and made notes to fix before continuing the rest of the assignment.

Twenty-five minutes after arriving, Kei made headway with the remaining pages - faster than he had anticipated - so he decided to go back and edit.

Thirty-five minutes after arriving, Kei finished his assignment. It felt completed and made with sufficient evidence. Not even he could nitpick the finer details into perfection.

And that bothered him.

Because now Kei was left with time to kill.

He had miscalculated his efficiency, which normally would have been fine considering he got done ahead of schedule, but this wasn’t fine. 

It was torture.

If Kuroo was remotely punctual, then he had about another twenty minutes, so he closed his laptop to stand from the table. He was in a library after all. At the very least, perusing the shelves would let him stretch his legs and let him get a good sense of the layout. It wasn’t a very big place; nonetheless there was a sense of curiosity as to what he could find between the bookshelves.

Branding his headphones, Kei didn’t stray far from his table, though he trusted no one would take his things considering no one was this far back with him. As he walked through the aisles, he noticed that irony liked to laugh in his face. The section next to where he chose to sit contained materials for the sciences, just on the outskirts of the reference sections altogether.

If he remembered correctly, Kuroo was studying chemistry. It wasn’t Kei’s personal favorite subject, but there was a mild interest in the field. It did allow for accurate and objective analysis for a good amount of things and had aided recently in Kei’s own research for a few of his classes. Maybe if he was willing to diminish his pride a bit, Kei would ask Kuroo for some assistance.

_Maybe._

He didn’t quite want to give the other man any ideas. Knowing Kuroo he would probably turn it into something. He would also ask for Kei for something in return, which could honestly be anything. A quick flip of his stomach suggested that he didn’t quite mind whatever would be asked, and like hell Kei was willing to give into that.

His fingers skimmed along the spines to the music bleeding through his headphones, feeling the embossed lettering of these hardcover editions and pausing when a title interested him. As easy and accessible as ebooks and articles were online, there was something captivating about discovering a book amongst the shelves and physically holding it in his hands. It wasn’t very known, though he didn’t try to hide it either, but Kei enjoyed that. It was that personal connection he had to books that he liked.

He exchanged a few textbooks, skimming through a few pages before deciding against them and choosing another. It was a way to pass time and keep his mind from wandering. Because when he least expected it, Kei found his mind slipping. His thoughts would be replaced with vivid imaginings of hands, teeth, and tongues. He could feel the ghost of pressure on his back where cool glass had grounded him in a room full of heat and sweat. And the sounds of panting and low moaning interrupted between pauses in his music.

Kei stood there in the aisle with his hand touching his next choice, but despite his efforts to keep his mind in check, he drifted off to that memory. He could feel the heat flush down from his ears to his neck. It had to be the heaters. It was November and the library had its heat turned up to combat the cold outside.

“ _Molecular Paleontology_ ,” an all-too familiar voice crooned in his ear, removing his headphones, “ _Ancient Biomolecules_. That seems like a rather interesting read, _Tsu~kki~_ ”

Kei could feel Kuroo behind him, his breath hot against his neck where he stood holding Kei’s headphones captive. He was so close. If Kei were to take even a step back, he would collide with his chest. Effortlessly. Kuroo’s breath tickled, raising goosebumps along his skin and causing his heart to pound in his ears. He felt tense, waiting for what Kuroo would do next. 

But nothing happened. 

Kei took in the presence behind him - a smug smile and cocked eyebrow coming to mind without even having to turn around. “It’s Tsukishima.”

“I keep forgetting~”

He rolled his eyes because he was starting to think Kuroo was doing this on purpose.

“So...a library, huh?”

Kei batted Kuroo’s hands away and finally turned around to face Kuroo. As he suspected, there was that irritating smirk plastered on his face as his eyebrow was playfully upturned to match. His usual bright, golden eyes were dark under the dim lights of the aisle, masked by the shadows of the books that stretched to the ceiling. Despite being about the same height, Kuroo naturally played into Kei, leaning on one foot to shorten himself and tilt his chin challengingly upward.

If he wanted to appear non-threatening, Kei would have suggested for Kuroo to try harder - maybe drop the smugness entirely. His sharp angles were naturally predatorial.

Kuroo’s hair was damp and he smelled of soap and whatever generic deodorant he'd bought. He was dressed down in sweats and a light blue college pullover that read _University of Tokyo_ in clear English while the hiragana for _Todai_ was legible underneath. Despite his clothes disguising his lean frame, Kei had no problems briefly pulling up the image of Kuroo in his thin white t-shirt and skintight jeans from the party not too long ago.

_Fuck._

“It was convenient for both of us,” Kei finally answered.

His eyes flitted to Kuroo’s lips, and Kei could have cursed himself out right then and there because Kuroo, of course, caught the quick flash of his gaze. His smirk stretched out to a grin as he leaned further into Kei’s personal space, crowding him closer to the bookshelves. “I see,” Kuroo purred, his own eyes scanning Kei’s face, “how thoughtful~”

Kei wasn’t sure if he wanted to push Kuroo away or pull him in closer so their bodies would be flushed against one another. So he kept his hands balled into fists at his sides. He was sure his own body would do something stupid if he didn’t try to control it now.

“Maybe a bit too thoughtful,” Kuroo hummed, straightening himself out now so that he stood relatively even with Kei’s height. With Kuroo’s arms caging him in and their chests now pressed together, he wondered if Kuroo could feel his heart pounding underneath his sweater.

“What do you mean?” Kei asked quietly, keeping his voice even - surprising even himself.

“You and me. Alone. In the back of the library?”

He shrugged, hoping to seem indifferent to Kuroo’s inference.

This caused Kuroo to laugh and Kei could feel the weight of it press against his chest as he shook his head. “Really?”

Kei raised an eyebrow.

Kuroo shook his head again, suppressing that signature smirk of his before looking back at Kei, “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve helped someone cross something off their list, Tsukki~” He winked at him.

He went to place his hand on Kei’s cheek, but Kei immediately pulled his face away from the touch. It was a reflex, despite anticipating the action, and he couldn’t even help himself. 

Kuroo’s hand had been warm for the briefest of seconds. 

“It’s...Tsukishima.” He was quick to summon up a glare and point it in Kuroo’s direction, hoping to smother his lingering surprise.

Kuroo must have taken the hint because he pulled back completely, putting space between them now that left Kei feeling a bit...lacking. Cold. Hadn’t they been standing underneath a heating vent? He ran a hand through his messy, drying hair and softened his smile just a bit. He looked rather apologetic. 

“Ah, right, Tsukishima.”

Kei fidgeted with his glasses before giving a slight nod and a short click of his tongue, stuffing his fists into his jeans and gesturing to the next aisle of bookshelves. “My stuff’s over there,” was all he said before taking the lead back to his table.

Everything was still as he left it - laptop remained shut, notebook neatly placed beside it, and his backpack was sitting in the seat next to his. Kei did notice a bright, red duffle bag opposite of his own things as it sat on the floor beside the table. He took his seat regardless and watched as Kuroo did the same across from him. 

Kuroo didn’t know how to sit in a chair. Instead of facing forward, he had turned halfway and tossed a leg over the arm of his seat while the other stayed grounded. He stretched his arms above his head, tugging his pullover as he did so and revealing a sliver of his skin just above the top of his jeans. The skin was paler there and looked rather soft, despite the sharp definition of his hip bones. Kei could feel his fingers itching, wanting to touch.

“You’re staring.”

“You’re wet.”

Kuroo tossed his head back, cackling at Kei’s retort. “You prefer me smelling like I just came back from practice then?”

Kei rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue giving an audible, annoyed _tch_ at Kuroo’s smartass remark.

“Ah, you’re right,” Kuroo nodded, “nothing smells better than vinyl, sweat, and salonpas. Couldn’t agree more.”

“I couldn’t care less what you smell like, Kuroo.” Kei readjusted his falling glasses. “You’re asking to get sick.”

Kuroo swung his leg down so both feet were now touching the floor and leaned forward onto the table. His chin fell into his hands, and the small study lamp beside him cast an orange hue across half of his face, catching one eye and turning it into molten amber. “So you do care about me~”

“Do not.”

“Do too!”

“You’re misreading things, Kuroo- _san_ ,” Kei pressed into the honorific as if physically poking Kuroo right between the eyes.

Kuroo pursed his lips and thought for a moment before that languid smile returned. “Nah, I can read you pretty well, Tsukishima.”

Kei raised an eyebrow. No, Kuroo really couldn’t, but if that’s what he wanted to believe then fine. Misdirection was a skill used by blockers all the time. The better the blocker, the better the technique, which Kei didn’t mind stooping to for this little game. That’s all it was after all. A game. A chance to finally one-up Kuroo Tetsurou of all annoying people in his life.

“Or maybe,” Kuroo hummed lightly, “I am just a tad out of practice. That’s why I wanted to catch up. Get to know what you’ve been up to, Mr. University Student~”

“You’re still a student yourself.”

“Ah, but I’m almost done! Finished. Dried up. But _you_ ,” Kuroo flashed a wicked grin, “you’re still youthful and full of so much potential still.”

“Oh shut up,” Kei sighed. “We’re not that far apart in age.”

“One day,” Kuroo sighed and slowly sat back, pulling his face from the warm glow of the study lamp, “you’ll understand~ You should enjoy this time while you’re here. Live a little~ Spread those wings and see what’s out there.”

“I’m perfectly fine where I am.”

“It could always be better.”

“It could always be worse.” Kei crossed his arms over his chest, finality seeping through that statement.

Kuroo’s eyes flicked up and down before plastering his smirk back on his face. “Guess you won’t know until you find out.” He half shrugged. 

“You’re referring to something more than just volleyball, aren’t you.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Kuroo batted his long, dark lashes, trying his best to appear innocent. 

That couldn’t be further than the truth.

Kei simply glared back at him.

Kuroo placed his hand over his heart and feigned surprise, “My, my, my~ Such thoughts? At this hour? In this place? Please, my poor virgin ears, Tsukishima~”

“Ha,” Kei rolled his eyes, “now that has to be the most hilarious thing you have ever said to me, Kuroo-san.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Not even for a second.”

“Hm,” he pursed his lips out into a slight pout before cracking a shit-eating grin, “that’s a good call, but you could always find out for yourself. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Kei could feel his stomach drop at the suggestion. Being so open and careless about how obvious Kuroo was should have been snubbed out, ignored, but there was a pleasant, familiar buzz humming underneath his skin. He was quickly reminded of the same electricity that ran through him at the Keidai party - his fingers twitching just to feel that spark again, but he refrained and kept himself where he was. Kei was in control and not this incessant curiosity.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Why thank you~”

He sighed, shaking his head and knew that this was just going to continue no matter what he did or said. Picking up his laptop first, Kei began to pack his things up and once finished, he looked back to Kuroo who seemed to be waiting with interest. “If you’re going to keep talking, we shouldn’t be here.”

“Oh?” Kuroo cocked an eyebrow. “And where are we going?”

“There’s a conbini a couple of blocks over.”

Blinking, absently followed Kei’s lead of grabbing his duffle bag and standing just a beat after him. “Are you buying me dinner?”

“No.”

Kuroo threw back his head and laughed. “Oh good,” he chuckled low and rounded the table to stand beside Kei now, “because I would have questioned where my cute, stingy kouhai went.”

Kei just glared in response.

“There he is!” Kuroo clapped a hand on his shoulder before walking forward, ahead of Kei.

As they walked out of the library and to Kei’s suggested conbini, Kuroo kept the conversation going. He seemed to enjoy himself, talking about the little consistencies in his life. He mentioned how his classes went, prattling on about a near accident in the lab, and added how his practice today ran a bit over. Todai had a game coming up, and it was going to be a big game that determined status for finals. Kei remembered players from the first string talking about how their practices increased and that the regiment was nightmarish.

And yet, strangely, he found himself wanting to join.

Just a bit.

Kei didn’t have a need to change the subject, enjoying the way Kuroo seemed to lose himself when talking about his latest practice match. Having teammates as his roommates also made for some interesting stories. It appeared that household grudges carried over when Kuroo nearly lost his head to a serve from Oikawa-san who was clearly still annoyed at the fact no one had done the dishes. That seemed like a bit much.

But Kuroo laughed the incident off. His face was bright, openly laughing at the recount, and he used his hands to excitedly spin the story for Kei. Expressive, unguarded, and vivacious - this Kuroo was easier to be around. There wasn’t a need to keep up the conversation when someone did it enthusiastically on their own.

Kuroo’s company wasn’t all that terrible.

They stopped inside the conbini and picked up some dinner, hassle free thanks to the store being tucked away in this part of town. Because they were so close, Kei suggested going back to his dorm to eat, quickly shutting down whatever smart remark Kuroo was about to quip in response. He was too predictable.

It was a familiar enough walk for Kei, having done it so many times with Yamaguchi, he could have done it with his eyes closed. Kuroo followed in step, resuming another story this time involving Bokuto-san pissing off Oikawa-san and Yaku-san of all people and earning double the ear-full and drilling he would normally have received.

Listening to Kuroo’s stories held Kei’s interest enough, but it was the recounting of certain plays and Kuroo venting about certain spikers that really held his interest. And maybe Kuroo picked up on that because he posed more questions about scenarios and cursed out rivaling players like Iwaizumi-san and Miya Atsumu, which had Kei agreeing or sneering or simply cutting insults himself. It was easy how much he could sympathize with the fellow middle blocker before realizing this was still _Kuroo_ and how much Kei didn’t want to give him such satisfaction. He was implicating himself all too easily.

But how could he not? 

The games he had been playing recently with the second string team were not living up to his expectations. Maybe it was because he had competed against so many monsters for so long, but there wasn’t the same pull anymore. 

Until now. 

Kuroo’s words alone made him curious enough to imagine what it would be like blocking against high end players again - making him recount the days where he did blocking practice for Bokuto-san or faced against “The Grand King” himself or the harrowing trials of Miya Atsumu.

Kei had been caught up in that want - that desire to shut incredible players down with a solid wall - he barely registered when they arrived at his housing unit.

He slowly pulled out his keys from his bag while Kuroo leaned against the wall, cheek pressed firmly against the plaster with his eyes glued onto Kei’s face. It took everything in him to focus on opening the door.

Pushing open his door, Kei let Kuroo in first and followed behind - both of them taking off their shoes in the small genkan. Once inside, Kuroo let out a low whistle and looked around while Kei dropped his things off in their usual spot.

“This place is amazing,” Kuroo shot him a glance over his shoulder.

Kei raised an eyebrow at that. His room was a rather simple set up. Everyone in this complex had the same space and utilized it in the same way - not that he knew from personal experience but the tour had been thorough enough. 

“It’s just a dorm room.”

Shaking his head, he disagreed. “Nuh-uh, no way, you should have seen my dorm room from my first year. God, how Tooru and I fit in that place I still don’t know.”

Kei simply shrugged, feeling lucky now, and took a seat on his bed, legs crossed and food in his lap. Kuroo looked between the two desks - his and Yamaguchi’s - and didn’t take a second thought to decide whose was whose. It was rather annoying how Kuroo knew which one was Kei’s. He placed his to-go curry on the desk before making a surprised cooing sound - Kei’s eyes going wide without having to look up to see what he discovered.

“I didn’t know you had dinosaur toys, Tsukki~” Kuroo beamed, holding up a brontosaurus that led the lineup on his top shelf.

“They’re not toys,” he snapped, feeling his face heat up. “They’re models. Now put it back.”

Kuroo did as he was told, delicately placing the chosen dinosaur back. He looked over at Kei, catching his eyes, and held up his hands in defense. “Alright, alright, I won’t touch them.”

Kei clicked his tongue in irritation.

“They’re cute.”

“Shut up.”

“They are!”

“Just eat your food.”

Kuroo simply chuckled as he stuffed his first few bites into his mouth.

They ate in comfortable silence for a bit. Kei was never one to rush his food, but Kuroo ate quickly. Maybe he was just that hungry after a long day or maybe he always ate quickly. Whatever it was, he was more eager to resume talking. It was good that Kei had experience with long-winded people. 

But as good as he was at tuning everyone out, Kuroo still managed to seep in. He'd been exposed too long to his voice and was now infected. Kei wasn't allowed any peace. 

“ - and if you think that was bad, you should have seen Akaashi’s interrogation of Oikawa. I mean, most people wouldn’t have called it an interrogation because they don’t know Akaashi, but - ”

“What are you doing?”

Kuroo stopped, hand clutched at his chest and chair tipped back in mid-laugh, to rest a more careful gaze on Kei. “I’m...telling a story?”

Kei hadn’t meant to interrupt. He hadn’t been thinking much to be fair and got lost for when his own words wanted to jump out. There wasn’t time to take them back so he simply blinked in mild surprise at his own expense. “I...know that.”

“Something on your mind there, Tsukki?”

“No.”

“No?” Kuroo cocked a disbelieving eyebrow again so perfectly arched that it only agitated Kei further.

“Do you not know the word? No, Kuroo, there is nothing on my mind.” He huffed and scooted off his bed to throw out his trash.

Once again, Kuroo threw his hands up defensively, but without guilt or shame, it didn’t mean anything except submission. There was that annoying drop in Kei’s stomach as he looked at Kuroo, open and accepting of when enough was enough. If it was always this easy to obey what Kei wanted, why didn’t Kuroo do it more often? Why did he have to just barge in and out of his life whenever he pleased?

Kei took his place on his bed again, pressing his back up against the wall and keeping his eyes trained on the man in front of him. Neither one said anything.

They continued this staredown - whether it was seconds or minutes or hours, Kei wasn’t sure, but it was out of pure stubbornness that he didn’t back down. And for whatever reason, Kuroo’s smile turned sharper and more corrupt, causing Kei’s stomach to sink further and his skin to prickle out in goosebumps. Any pretense for a simple, innocuous reunion was gone, and again all he could think about was the warmth of Kuroo’s hands on his hips and the slide of his tongue against his bottom lip. The night of the party coming back in full HD remastered play-by-play now.

“You’re staring.”

“You’re red.”

Kei narrowed his eyes at Kuroo.

“See something you like?” Kuroo’s voice dipped lower and his words were dragged out slowly, precisely.

“No, just a pervert.”

He tipped his chair back again, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead and playfully acting hurt. Breathing in a gasp, he seemed determined to take the comment to heart. “Why must you be so mean to me?” 

Kei simply regarded Kuroo blankly. He could see past the dramatics and teasing and knew exactly why he was here. 

Why they were both here. 

“You can’t provoke me, Kuroo,” he breathed, coming out steadier than he had expected, “Why don’t you just say it?”

Carefully, Kuroo brought the chair back down on all fours and leaned forward. The corner of his mouth quipped slightly as he tried to hold back. “Say what?”

“Are you really going to keep pretending that I don’t know why you’re here? Why do you really want to catch up?”

Kuroo hummed thoughtfully before getting up from the desk chair. He halfly sat on the edge of Kei’s bed - one leg crossed while his other foot remained planted on the floor. There was plenty of space between them, and as the mattress dipped ever so slightly, all focus was drawn to his knee that almost, just _almost_ brushed against Kei’s. 

“Because isn’t curiosity enough to want to start over?” 

And the look in Kuroo’s eyes wasn’t mocking or teasing in the least. The seriousness in his expression had Kei’s pulse pounding in his ears, and for the first time - ever, he thought - he could see what made Kuroo dangerous. It wasn’t his superficial good looks or his sharp tongue that could easily dig underneath someone’s skin and rile them up. No, it was the devastating sincerity that churned in his gaze. It was the instant rush of trust that washed over Kei from just one look.

Thankfully after years of determined practice, Kei was sure his face remained steeled in neutral. He couldn’t let Kuroo in so easily.

“Again,” Kei’s voice came out steady, “how can we start over when there was nothing there before?”

Kuroo brought his hand to his chest in feigned hurt, groaning dramatically. “Oh, Tsukki, you wound me so~ How could you deny that we never had anything?”

Kei rolled his eyes. “Because we didn’t. We met for a brief period of time in high school where you continued to pester me into extra volleyball practice. There was nothing.”

“Hey, I was a great mentor,” Kuroo pouted slightly before waving his hand around, “besides, it didn’t stop there. What about the party after nationals? The training camps here in Tokyo?”

“What about them?”

“Oh, come on, Tsukki, you can’t say there was nothing.”

“There was nothing.” Kei deadpanned.

“Tsukki!”

“It’s Tsukishima,” he sighed, readjusting his glasses on his face and trying not to entirely meet Kuroo’s eyes. “We don’t know each other.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“It defeats your whole argument.”

“Are you saying you _want_ to get to know me then?” Kuroo quirked his eyebrow, trying his best to suppress his smirk.

And somehow, Kei felt as if he walked right into that one. That was Kuroo’s intention all along after all. Technically, he could still say no and end it here. Kuroo would probably pout a little longer, but Kei was sure that he would eventually give in and respect the choice. If he said no, he wouldn’t have to put up with Kuroo’s annoying text messages or chittering phone calls about nothing. He could go back to surviving university and trying to get through life.

 _Spread those wings and see what’s out there._

On the other hand, if Kei said no right now, he would be condemning himself to closing out a curious chapter in his life.

Why did he have to be surrounded by infuriating people?

“That’s not a no~” Kuroo sing-songed, leaning in to catch Kei’s eyes and poking his face back to the forefront of his mind. “Come on, Tsukki, admit it. You wanna get to know me too~”

Kei could feel his face getting hot. Kuroo was just a few inches away now and there was no escaping that look in his eyes. “Kuroo...just shut up.”

There was no bite.

“Is that what you want?” Kuroo asked him, a soft purr curling at the end, and remained where he was - expectant.

Kei was also waiting for the same thing. That definitive yes or no - the ‘ _should he_ ’ or ‘ _should he not_ ’ answer that would tip everything in one direction.

His eyes scanned the planes of Kuroo’s face before resting on his lips. They were slightly off angle - Kuroo was peering up at him, his back dipped with most of his weight forward on his hands. His sweater rode up just slightly to reveal a sliver of his back, just above the top of his sweatpants, and Kei wanted to feel the smooth skin there.

_Damn._

“Tsukki?”

“It’s Tsukishima.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Shut up.”

Kuroo’s smile was wicked, and he knew. Somehow he just knew, but he remained planted where he was, unmoving and smug. 

“ _Make me_ ,” was all he said.

And that was it.

The taut string that was holding Kei together finally snapped. No more deciding ‘ _if_ ’ or ‘ _yes_ ’ or ‘ _no_.’ His body moved on its own accord with that simple command; his hands framed Kuroo’s face as he leaned down to bring their lips together. _Finally_ , he thought and hummed happily giving into the buzzing that had started surging through his body.

Kuroo had pressed up into Kei’s lips, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. Their lips moved like that again and again, taking turns tasting each other. There was no spiced cinnamon or lingering whiskey this time. Instead, the spiciness came from the curry Kuroo had been eating earlier, and underneath that, Kei was certain that he was there - all wet heat and determination.

Kei’s brain had short circuited as Kuroo curled his tongue and licked inside Kei’s mouth.

He could feel Kuroo’s shoulders begin to shake from straining in their current position, so when he took the initiative, Kei went along with it. Kuroo pushed up, completely climbing onto the bed now, and broke away from Kei, biting his bottom lip and leaving him utterly breathless. Placing his hands on Kei’s shoulders, Kuroo shuffled into his lap, athletic thighs firm against his own as calloused hands then moved to frame Kei’s face. 

Kei found his hands automatically going to Kuroo’s hips, steadying him as he looked up into his eyes now. Warm liquid amber was replaced by the blown out discs of black from Kuroo’s pupils - eyes trained solely on one thing. They both licked their lips, and Kei could hear the shaky exhale leave Kuroo rather than himself. His grip tightened on Kuroo’s hips, feeling grounded by that, and surged forward to recapture their kiss.

This was a better angle. Kuroo’s hands were steady against his cheeks, and Kei tilted his head just so that he was able to deepen the kiss without pause. Kuroo moaned into his mouth and lowered his hips, dropping his full weight into Kei’s lap now. 

The Todai middle blocker was lean - had been since the day they had met back in high school - which hid how beautifully strong he was underneath. His calves, thighs, abs, hands - everything about Kuroo Tetsurou was hidden strength and control. He always seemed to be in control, which had always pissed Kei off because nothing could make him surrender.

He thought.

Kei had a newfound flood of determination sing through his veins as he wanted nothing more than to reduce this smooth-talking tom cat into a whimpering mess. The thought of Kuroo begging him for anything was enough to make his dick twitch in his pants and it didn’t go unnoticed. 

Kuroo must’ve felt something because he decided then to bite on Kei’s lower lip before pulling away. His thumb played with Kei’s swollen lip as he cocked his head to the side. “God, you’re so pretty,” he panted, his voice sounding impossibly lower.

Before Kei could feel the heat hit his cheeks and lose all steam, he nipped at Kuroo’s thumb and narrowed his eyes. “Shut up and take this off,” he tugged at Kuroo’s sweater.

Kuroo snickered breathlessly as he reached down to pull the sweater off over his head, though before he could get free he wasn’t safe. Kei had latched onto the freshly exposed skin at Kuroo’s hips, splaying his fingers to feel the core muscles firsthand before sinking his teeth into the unmarked skin above. Hissing, Kuroo tossed his sweater behind him and carded his fingers through Kei’s blonde curls, watching as he teased circles at Kuroo’s nipple and sucked a hickey just below his ribs.

He felt Kuroo shudder, heard him gasp and moan at Kei’s touch and not let a single expanse of skin go unattended. Kei explored Kuroo’s torso, taking him apart the same way he would an opponent on the court - methodically and without mercy. For all of the teasing Kuroo did to him, Kei took great satisfaction in making Kuroo squirm in his lap, tugging at his hair and impatiently grinding down in search of friction.

“T-Tsukki,” Kuroo panted, a whine bubbling in the back of his throat.

Kei flicked his gaze upward before pinching Kuroo’s nipple.

He gasped, “Fuck,” as his hips rocked forward and his hands tightened in Kei’s hair. His head fell back, exposing his elegantly long neck and asking to be next for Kei’s attack.

Kuroo was irritatingly attractive and was one of those guys who knew it too. Just another thing that pissed Kei off to no end and was often the source of pointed glares. He hated this advantage Kuroo had over him, and he hated how his attempt at revenge - trailing hickeys and making Kuroo beg - was ultimately going to backfire on him. 

It already was.

Kei dug his thumb into a hickey, causing the other man to yelp and spring forward. His eyes blinked away the surprise before breaking out into a knowing grin and clicking his tongue against his teeth. “That’s mean,” he purred.

“You like it,” Kei panted back, feeling a slight ache in his jaw already, and he hadn’t even reached up to Kuroo’s collarbones. 

Maybe he was being too thorough.

“I’d like something a bit more,” Kuroo hummed as he ground his hips down and pressed against Kei’s erection. His eyes lit up when he was able to get a grunt out of him, delighted to know he could still get the better of Kei.

Kei clicked his tongue out of irritation, squeezing his hands on Kuroo’s hips and stopping his movements. He took that momentum and they were both falling over onto the bed, Kei rolling Kuroo onto his back and looking down at this impossible man. Kuroo stretched his arms above his head, smirking up at him - all surprise vanishing the second he was underneath Kei - and inviting him to take another round at his exposed skin. 

It was a very tempting offer. 

Instead, Kei pulled his own sweater up over his head, tossing it to the floor, and helped Kuroo out of his sweatpants.

And then he stopped.

 _You’ve got to be kidding_ , Kei thought to himself as he had half a mind to just change his decision. 

This smug bastard wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“What?”

Kei just glared at him, trying to pierce right through that fake innocence. “Really?”

“Aw, come on, Tsukki, seriously I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Kuroo used his elbows to sit up. “I just got done with practice and forgot to bring a clean pair to change into. I swear.”

Kei stared at him just a bit longer to make Kuroo believe that maybe he _would_ change his mind out of spite. But seeing him stripped before him, Kei knew he wasn’t backing out now. He did want this whether Kuroo had planned it from the start or not. Pulling the rest of his pants down, he tossed them off the bed too and let his hand run along Kuroo’s inner thigh - seeing him shudder at the sensitive touch.

Kuroo fell back off his elbows with a soft thud and spread his legs with Kei’s touch. He clearly enjoyed the feeling of Kei’s hands on his legs as he hummed responsively. “Touch me as much as you want.”

Kei didn’t have to see his face to know the smile plastered on Kuroo’s expression. Cheeky bastard. So he leaned in and didn’t hold back as he sucked a hickey into the middle of Kuroo’s thigh - _hard_ \- earning him a satisfying gasp. Kuroo’s hips bucked up in reply, wanting more, but Kei ignored him as he continued to etch more and more marks into Kuroo’s thighs.

It was addicting.

Kei was generally thorough in the things that he was interested in - history, music, volleyball - and since his first year of high school, he had always been a bit curious about Kuroo Tetsurou. The constant challenge in his eyes and the needling to get under Kei’s skin had more than enough done the trick to keep the former Nekoma captain on his radar. If anything, Kei told himself it was because Kuroo always had something up his sleeve if anything else. This time he wanted to one-up Kuroo. He wanted to take him apart, and maybe finally this underlying itch would leave him alone.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Kuroo cussed after a particularly stinging bite at his hip, arching his back. “I knew you were into something.”

Pulling back, Kei took a moment to look at his handiwork. It wasn’t so much as he was into it as he was more into hearing Kuroo mutter profanities and gasp with each mark he’d make. Although when he looked down at the red and purpling bruises, Kei couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at what he’d managed to do - the imprints that would last for some time because of him.

Kei simply responded with a click of his tongue, a quick “tch” to deflect the blush wanting to heat his face.

Kuroo put in effort to sit up - his arms shook underneath his weight - and smirked up at Kei beneath half-lidded eyes, “What else are you into?”

“Silence.”

“Hm, I don’t think you are,” he purred, slowly licking a stripe in the palm of his hand and grasping himself. Kuroo carefully stroked up and down as he kept his eyes locked with Kei’s. 

And there it was again. That challenge in Kuroo’s gaze which beckoned Kei to react - any reaction would have satisfied him honestly - but Kei didn’t want to give him that. He met Kuroo’s challenge head-on and watched as he continued to deliberately drag his hand up and down the length of his own cock. His grip wasn’t all that firm, but he did take pause to press his thumb at the tip, biting his lip as he did. Kei watched the repeated pattern a few more times before releasing a quick huff.

“Looks like you have everything taken care of,” Kei raised an eyebrow.

“I am pretty good with my hands.”

“Isn’t that what everyone says?”

“Do you wanna watch and find out?”

Kei narrowed his eyes. That was a trap somehow but the jump from his own cock still confined in his jeans didn’t exactly care about that. He was a bit interested in knowing what Kuroo looked like splayed out and desperate. And maybe, just _maybe_ , Kei would help him out if he asked nicely enough.

He had never had enough interest to really watch porn. Kei wrote it off to be boring and uninteresting, and yet as Kuroo laid there and began to work at himself, there was something suddenly very appealing in watching someone else get off. Kei had wanted to keep his eyes locked onto Kuroo’s - to prove that this did nothing for him - but a drawn out moan and Kuroo flopping onto his back broke Kei’s concentration. His eyes trailed down the length of Kuroo’s body, pausing to admire the work he’d done, before studying the way his hand lingered along his shaft and noting the mewls that escaped his throat. 

No, he was not staring.

Absolutely not.

Kei was strictly observing, watching how his technique affected him like he’d done with volleyball. Kuroo was always insistent that Kei keep his attention on nearly everything he did whenever he gave him pointers. This was no different. Watching how Kuroo liked to be touched and pleased was only advantageous information. Kei wanted whatever weaknesses Kuroo was going to show him.

Besides, _staring_ would imply giving Kuroo exactly what he wanted and there was no way that he was going to give him that satis-

“ _Tsukki_.” 

Kuroo’s moan went straight to his cock. Kei was still clothed and now more than ever he just wanted to get out of his pants. As he reached for the top button of his jeans, he was stopped by Kuroo’s foot.

Their eyes met again and Kei could feel whatever control he’d had before drain from him. Kuroo’s gaze locked him in place, daring him to even attempt to make a single move.

Kei gasped as he felt Kuroo’s heel dig into his erection. The pressure felt good, needed actually, and the added denim friction felt like relief. Kei moved his hips very lightly, rocking in time to Kuroo’s own movements, and shuddered when Kuroo let another long moan release with his name off his lips.

“Kuroo,” Kei growled and pushed the offending foot off of him.

Kuroo paused his ministrations and lifted his head to lazily look at Kei before smirking, “Looking awfully comfortable there, Tsukki~”

Sitting up, Kuroo came back into focus and was suddenly a lot closer than before. Nearly nose to nose now, Kei took in a quick breath before their lips came crashing together again and it felt like a song that was replayed on the radio. The rhythmic press of lips felt familiar and comforting, distracting enough for Kuroo to let his hands roam down Kei’s body this time. Kei shuddered at the feather-light touches, pushing into him when Kuroo ghosted over his nipples rather than gasping out loud. 

It didn’t go unnoticed.

Kei could practically taste the smile on Kuroo’s lips as he repeated the swipe of his thumb over Kei’s pert nipple. So he bit Kuroo’s bottom lip in retaliation, though that earned him a chuckle when Kuroo pulled back to look at him. His lips were very pink and very swollen and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead, pushing his bangs out of his face. Kei had to force himself to not blurt anything unnecessary out like how Kuroo had been wrong when it was clearly Kuroo who was the more beautiful one.

“Tsu -”

 _No, no more talking_ , Kei thought to himself as he quickly reached out to Kuroo’s face and swallowed his name. There was more urgency in this kiss now as he just wanted more, more, more. The talking was getting in the way of everything.

Kuroo didn’t seem bothered by the interruption, kissing Kei back just as fiercely and forgetting the words that wanted to come. Instead, he dropped his hands to Kei’s jeans and helped him out of the denim.

Finally free of the rest of his clothes, Kei scrambled into Kuroo’s lap with only one thing on his mind. He wanted to be touched. No more teasing or playing around. Kei wanted to go for the win without any more obstacles in his way. But Kuroo was keeping his hands to Kei’s thighs as he kissed Kei's neck, and that was not enough. Rocking his hips forward, Kei sighed at the way their cocks rubbed together - a wash of pleasure flooding down his spine and settling warm in his gut.

Kuroo was quick to adjust and finally moved a hand between them, wrapping around their cocks to add some pressure as Kei wanted nothing more than to fuck into that hand. His body was moving on its own, wanting everything and anything. Kei gasped when Kuroo began to stroke both of them, their precum mixing to alleviate the friction.

Kei dug his nails into Kuroo’s shoulders, using the strength in his legs to thrust into the warm grip of Kuroo’s hand. It felt good, yes, but the drag of skin against skin was starting to bother the both of them - Kei could tell by the sharp gasps Kuroo inhaled and the slight hesitation in his own hips. So he stopped moving, panting slightly to catch his breath, before he reached for a small basket he kept underneath his bed. Mixed in with his shower toiletries was a bottle of lube, having been hidden in plain sight.

Kuroo quirked an eyebrow, ready to comment because Kei could see the gears already turning, but looking closely at his eyes, Kei could also see that he was a bit too far gone now. He held out his hand for Kei to pour some lube into his palm and made sure to spread it around his fingers for good measure. Kei tossed the bottle onto the bed as Kuroo took them both back into his firm grasp, causing Kei’s breath to hitch on surprise.

That was much better.

Kei leaned in to capture Kuroo’s lips, kissing him as fervently as before as he easily slid against Kuroo’s cock and hand. He could feel the electricity ignite once again as he focused on keeping a steady rhythm to move with Kuroo rather than to just chase after his own pleasure.

He was aware Kuroo was looking at him, the kisses having now stopped, and yet that only made Kei feel hotter. Under usual circumstances, Kei would have been irritated being pinned by Kuroo’s gaze, and yet, he wanted nothing more than to have his eyes on him. His body urged him to keep looking as Kei glanced down and ran a hand through Kuroo’s hair. It was damp with sweat, making it difficult to keep his hand in place, so Kei held firmly and a small voice told him to _pull_.

He did.

Kuroo’s eyes rolled back as he moaned with Kei’s grip. He could feel Kuroo’s hips stutter before his hand squeezed around them both and quickly went slack around their cocks.

“Don’t you _dare_ let go,” Kei snarled, commanding in Kuroo’s ear. 

That kept Kuroo lucid enough to do as he was told and re-tightened his grip again around them. Kei pulled his hair again and was rewarded with another pleasing groan from Kuroo beneath him, his whole body shuddering this time. “ _Fuck_ , Tsukki,” he panted breathlessly.

“You really are a masochist, aren’t you?” Kei muttered mostly to himself, tangling his fingers even more into Kuroo’s hair.

Kuroo looked up at him, and he was completely gone. No more smugness. No more clever retorts or snide remarks lingering underneath. Kei wondered just how close Kuroo was with a blank expression like that and completely flushed all the way down his chest. This was exactly what Kei wanted to see - Kuroo finally stripped of all his pretenses and bravado. He was clinging onto the command Kei had given him but other than that? Nothing.

Kei slowed his movements, dragging his hips a bit more slowly and thrusting further into Kuroo’s hand than before. He listened to the ragged gasps coming from Kuroo below him as he watched his back slowly arch off the bed and then drop back down with a sigh. Honestly, Kei could watch him like this all day if he could.

His hand disentangled itself from Kuroo’s now matted hair and caressed his face, finding purchase with his cheek. For all of Kuroo’s sharp edges and pressed muscle, his skin was very soft, even despite the faint stubble at his jaw. Kei liked how his cheek fit in the palm of his hand feeling Kuroo give into the touch and nuzzle against him. Cute.

Nope.

No.

No way.

Kuroo Tetsurou was not allowed to be hot _and_ cute.

Kei clicked his tongue in sudden agitation and started to resume his previous pace, grinding his hips down to press more firmly into Kuroo’s cock. He felt Kuroo’s mouth open in a perfect _oh_ as he tried to hide his face into Kei’s hand, but that wasn’t going to slide with him. He wanted to see the way Kuroo’s face looked as he came. Pushing Kuroo’s bangs up and away from the rest of his face for once, Kei pinched his jaw and forced Kuroo to face him.

Okay, now this was just unfair.

“Fuck,” Kei moaned, stuttering as he leaned in to press his forehead to Kuroo’s, “you’re beautiful.”

Kuroo made a keening noise in the back of his throat.

And _now_ he was staring.

“Are you close?” Kei asked him, receiving a light nod in response. 

Reaching down between them, Kei found Kuroo’s hand and took over, grasping both of them and increasing the pace. Kuroo’s moan fueled Kei to stroke them both desperately, watching as Kuroo’s eyes squeezed shut and his jaw dropped to let out a low _ohhhhh_ from the back of his throat. 

“T-Tsukki, I….I -”

“Go ahead, Kuroo,” Kei encouraged him, kissing at his jawline, “Cum for me.”

Kuroo’s entire body shook as he dug his heels down into the mattress and his arms wrapped around Kei’s shoulders. Kei watched as Kuroo flushed pink down to his chest, sweat having soaked his hair and plastered it in an even worse state than it naturally was. And yet, Kei wouldn’t take away his earlier comment. Even like this, a pink sweaty mess, Kuroo Tetsurou was still hot, cute, and absolutely gorgeous.

Kei wasn’t too far behind Kuroo, burying his face against his shoulder as he listened to Kuroo’s deep breathing. When Kuroo let another soft moan escape, that did Kei in, biting down where his shoulder met his throat. Goosebumps raised along Kei’s skin as he came across Kuroo’s abs and felt Kuroo’s cock twitch in oversensitive approval. He felt shaky arms tighten around him and pull him down against Kuroo’s chest, and Kei was too tired to do much about the mess between them at that moment.

They stayed like that for a few moments - the only sounds in the room were their breathing and erratic heartbeats. Kei’s glasses had long since fogged up, but he didn’t want to take them off, despite being blind either way.

Kuroo whistled and Kei grunted.

“You’re full of surprises, Tsukki,” Kuroo’s voice was thick and grumbled in Kei’s ear. He sounded too pleased with himself.

Kei smirked, “And you were just as expected.”

“Oi!”

“I knew you’d be a masochist,” he shrugged halfly, turning his face to look at Kuroo now that his glasses were clearing up.

Even post orgasmic bliss, Kei’s mind still couldn’t help but think Kuroo was _cute_ of all things. The pout should have been misplaced on someone with Kuroo’s features - should have but wasn’t - and that added another point of irritation. But the pout didn’t last long as Kuroo naturally stretched into his half-smirk, cocky expression as if he knew exactly what Kei was thinking, which was impossible because Kei remained as neutral as ever.

“You had fun.”

It was a statement with no questioning tone underneath. Kuroo was definitely overtly smug about this, and as much as Kei would love to wipe that from his face and lie, he really couldn’t. It was true.

“It killed time,” Kei responded, keeping his stare level and challenging Kuroo.

“That wasn’t a denial,” he said as he brought a hand to run through Kei’s hair, pushing his bangs from his sweaty forehead. “I’ll take it.”

Kei simply grunted, not wanting to admit anything further.

It went silent again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward between them. Maybe it was the high that still tickled at where Kuroo’s fingers met Kei’s scalp. It could have been that they just got lucky to find a relaxing position to be locked in. Or it could have been the fond way Kuroo stared at him. Whatever it was, Kei didn’t hate it.

He didn’t hate the way Kuroo looked after sex. There was a warmth that wanted to settle in Kei’s chest as he saw how relaxed and natural Kuroo seemed sprawled out in bed.

It was too comfortable.

“Ne, Tsukki?”

“Hm?”

“We should do that again.”

Kei closed his eyes as he hummed in agreement, though he knew that it didn’t mean now. It was a promise for later because he was sure Yamaguchi would be back before they could clean up from another round. Besides, Kuroo’s tone suggested later. Another day. When he reopened his eyes, he watched as Kuroo played with his own hair, attempting to fix whatever new mess it was destined to stay at until he took another shower.

There wasn’t much strength in Kei’s arms, still waiting for his body to fully come back online, but he managed to look down at Kuroo and caught his attention.

This was just to fulfill an itch - hooking up with someone he had a crush on in high school and nothing more.

“I’m not looking for anything serious.”

Kuroo blinked up at him, a moment of surprise, before a lazy smile spread across his face in understanding. “That makes two of us, Tsukki.”

* * *

Turning off the shower, he stood in the stall for a moment to collect himself and push the thoughts of aching muscles out of his head before heading back out to the locker room and getting dressed in silence. Everyone else was long gone for the night, leaving him some peace of mind to think. He hadn’t quite had the opportunity to do much of that this week. 

The quiet was nice.

The week had continued on. Class, work, practice - that went on without a pause and before he knew it, Kei had been thrusted into the weekend. Now it was Sunday, and he was ready to collapse in on himself to not think about another thing for as long as he lived. It had been a rather draining week, though he considered that to be completely on his part. If he had simply done what he normally did, Kei would not have been half as tired as he was.

Classes were manageable with easy coursework. He’d been able to get his assignments done by Friday and prepared for the following week. Work had been even simpler with nothing occurring out of the usual incidents - there was always someone somewhere touching something that was a part of the museum which required formal write-ups.

The days had been normal so far, sure, but at night, Kei thought he was being tormented. Everyone and their mother seemed to suddenly want his attention, leaving him very little time to do much of anything else. For the first time all year, Kei wanted a distraction - a reason to not overthink everything and waste whatever energy he did have on something worth the challenge.

This was the fourth extra practice he had attended this week. 

When Kei stayed later than usual on Thursday, he was well aware of the stares from his teammates, but he wasn’t bothered by them. Friday was game day for the first string, which meant another extra practice for everyone else, and instead of trudging on the treadmills and reading for class, Kei had put on their game from last week.

Their first string team was composed of talented players - many Kei had faced off against on the other side of the net during high school. He knew their skills, but within the last year, he hadn’t paid much attention to their growth. Kei spent that Friday extra practice relearning the ins and outs of those teammates, of those incredible players, to refamiliarize what it was like to go up against difficult opponents.

That recorded game, however, had been against none other than Todai (of course). As Kei focused on his own team, he also found his eyes drifting across the net. 

To Kuroo.

Kei could remember the thrill of facing off against the former Nekoma captain. He could easily picture his smug grin and the taunting jabs he’d given him the last time they faced off four years ago. Despite the gap in time, it all came back in a rush: locking eyes, sneering insults, formidable blocks, rising goosebumps, flirtatious jeers. The ghostly mockery felt fresh on his tongue and for a moment he had completely forgotten about the teammates he was supposed to be analyzing.

Even when he wasn’t there, Kuroo could get under his skin.

But he was well aware of that.

Saturdays were normally reserved practices for the first string players, not even a win from the night before stalled their efforts to grow. Despite the reservations, the coaches always encouraged the other strings to come to these practices - the more the merrier.

Kei hadn’t planned on attending a Saturday practice if he wasn’t forced to. After all, his designated practice days were on Sunday, but Yamaguchi had tried to get him to go and spend time with Hinata and Kageyama that day too. No. They were last on his list of people to see this week, entertaining unnecessary, childish chatter wasn’t exactly in his repertoire at that moment.

Arriving at Saturday practice for the first time all year had caught everyone’s attention and immediately made Kei reconsider his entire day. He was greeted by Sawamura, which wasn’t out of the usual considering his former Karasuno captain had tried to make him feel welcome since day one. Sawamura even volunteered Kei to play on his practice team with Iwaizumi. Kei squandered down any whispers from the other string players about his involvement with them because “it’s just his first time showing up and he’s already been picked up by the firsts, really?” seemed too unimportant to even acknowledge.

Maybe later he’d make a snide remark if they kept up those excuses.

When their three person team went up against Ushijima’s team, that was when Kei remembered what it was like to be on a court with impressive pressure. It was only a three-vs-three match, but he could tell that this was another league already. He was thrown back into the memories of that fateful match against Shiratorizawa, but this swooping of his stomach wasn’t out of nerves or insecurities.

Kei was hungry.

He’d managed to block Ushijima once before back in high school but only once. Could he do it again? He had definitely gotten better since his time playing at a university level - a natural volleyball nut playing at the top of his game, what could go wrong? Would Kei whose several months of waning interest really be able to keep up?

Yup.

By the end of practice, Kei was reminded just what it was like to play amongst monsters. Their caliber was still unmatched and easily exhausted everyone around them, but it was also refreshing. New, familiar challenges that kept him thinking and turning over strategies to get the next block, next save, next attack, next point. Playing at this level felt like home - though he would never admit that aloud.

While toweling his forehead, Kei received a slap to his back, causing him to quickly turn and see the overtly familiar proud smile plastered on Sawamura’s face. He was a little red on his cheeks and his short hair was slightly mussed from playing, but his former captain remained put together like he used to.

“Tsukishima! Glad you could make it out today!”

Kei nodded and took a drink from his water bottle.

“Surprised it took you this long, though,” Sawamura noted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was sure you would have come out sooner.”

“Oh?” Kei cocked an eyebrow at that. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I remember what it was like starting out on the second string team.”

Kei remembered his second year in high school when the former third years came back to visit a few of their games during their breaks. He hadn’t been too close to them the previous year but was still lightly fond of their presence, so he stuck around to hear Sawamura speak with Tanaka and Nishinoya about his time at Sodai. It made sense that Sawamura wouldn’t have started out on the first string - nothing really stood out with their former captain - but his skills remained impeccably solid and everyone knew he would excel sooner rather than later.

“It’s fine.” Kei told him, putting his water bottle down.

Sawamura simply nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, I know it is, but wouldn’t you agree that there’s something that’s missing?”

He didn’t say anything because Sawamura was right. Even though his ass was handed to him by Ushijima and Iwaizumi today, Kei didn’t begrudge them because when he was able to retaliate and one-up them, he felt that long lost satisfaction return.

And now it was Sunday.

Sunday evenings were usual practice times for the second string players, and Kei had always been diligent with keeping a schedule. He attended practice as usual despite his sore body and pushed through to perform better than usual, earning more whispered jabs from his teammates but they were just unnecessarily envious. If they simply put in the work, they would have a better understanding of their level.

And never be able to compete with the current first string.

Once dressed, Kei took his bag from his locker and headed out of the locker rooms. He turned on his phone and was greeted by a barrage of messages, quickly ciphering through to see what was urgent and what could wait until the morning, as he made his way back to his building. His current project group chat was acting up with irrelevant conversation, so he muted that first. He was tempted to also mute his “Karasuno First Years” now “Karasuno Fantastic Five” group chat because it seemed Hinata was busy blowing up with memes which Kei couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to.

As he took the train, less packed tonight thankfully because it was well past normal commute hours, Kei scrolled through social media. He didn’t do this often, not really caring to keep up to date on these kinds of things, but it gave a good cover so no one would approach him. When he saw nothing but the same memes that Hinata had sent to the group chat, Kei quickly closed out of that and just listened to his music the rest of the way.

“I’m back,” Kei announced dully into his dorm room, taking off his shoes by the door.

“Welcome back!” Yamaguchi reciprocated eagerly from further inside the room. “You’re back late. Again.”

Kei could hear the curious amusement in his best friend’s voice and sighed. He was too tired for this. 

Dropping his backpack off by his desk, Kei then faceplanted into his bed, hoping that this would deter Yamaguchi from asking him anything about tonight’s practice. He had asked him about each extra practice since Kei took on the first one on Thursday. 

He didn’t settle for simple answers either.

Yamaguchi was a good student. He was efficient and diligent in getting what needed to be done finished, which was why Kei hoped to lose consciousness before he could start up what seemed to be a new nightly routine. Kei was on the verge, incredibly close, of falling into the sweet recesses of sleep when he heard the dull drop of the pencil.

“Back at the gym again?” Yamaguchi’s voice was innocent enough, but Kei knew this man. He’d grown up with him and had his tones and inflections down to an exact science. So he knew that there was another question underneath it: ‘ _Or were you somewhere else?_ ’

Kei didn’t have the energy to brush Yamaguchi off. The sooner he played into this childish interrogation, the sooner he could go to sleep. “It’s Sunday. Of course I was at the gym.”

“You should have been done two hours ago, Tsukki, and you have classes in the morning. You really stayed that long after?”

“What? I can’t put effort into volleyball now?” Kei naturally quipped back, his face still stuffed into his pillow.

“Of course you can, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi’s voice was gentler now. “Hinata and Kageyama will be so happy to go up against you if you keep this up.”

Kei nearly snorted into his pillow, turning his head to look at Yamaguchi now. He sat at his desk, as he usually did when he studied, with his bangs clipped back and away from his face. Between that and his new reading glasses, his face looked much rounder and softer than it had been before. His freckles also weren’t as pronounced this time of year, but Kei knew they were still there decorating his face.

“I’m not doing this for them, Yamaguchi,” Kei scoffed - like he would subject himself to this exhaustion just to please his former teammates.

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh? So you’re not doing this for someone else all of sudden?”

“No.”

“I see.”

“I’m serious.”

“Of course you are.”

“I mean it, Tadashi,” Kei sighed, wanting to put any dubious thoughts away because Kei didn’t do anything unnecessarily. If he put effort into something, it was because _he_ wanted it.

“I know you are, Kei,” Yamaguchi met his stare for what it was worth, allowing a moment of seriousness to pass over the both of them. And then the smallest of smirks had touched the corner of his mouth, “But -”

“Don’t you say it -”

“Don’t you think your recent run-in with Kuroo had a little something to do with it?”

Kei glared at him. Yamaguchi had been dying to talk about Kei and Kuroo since being walked in on the other day. Kuroo’s school wasn’t anywhere remotely close to Kei’s campus, and yet he just "so happened" to be in the neighborhood and wanted to meet up. Well, that meet-up turned into a makeout session back on Kei’s bed - both of them unaware of Yamaguchi’s arrival - with a haste eviction on Kuroo’s part. 

Kei practically kicked the man out of his bed, though he must have thought it was a joke because Kuroo couldn’t help but to actually acknowledge the stunned expression on Yamaguchi’s face.

“You’re rooming with freckles?” Kuroo had snickered as he pulled his shirt back over his head.

“Get _out_ ,” Kei had hissed at him, feeling his face turn as red as Yamaguchi’s.

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Kuroo had held his hands up defensively, smirk plastered in place. With a “See ya around, freckles~” Kuroo had made his way out of the room, leaving the two roommates to not meet each other’s eyes for the rest of the day.

Ever since the initial awkwardness subsided, Yamaguchi had been trying to get the finer details out of Kei, but he certainly wasn’t ready to answer those questions.

“I’m not doing extra practices because of that idiot, Yamaguchi,” Kei rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. “Why would I do that?”

“Because it’s what you do whenever he comes back into your life.”

Kei turned his head to look at him.

Yamaguchi shrugged as if to say ‘ _it’s true_.’

And maybe it was a bit true - at the very least a coincidence - but there was no concrete evidence to support it. Kei and Kuroo had talked about volleyball as neutral territory. After all, they met through volleyball and it seemed to be the most comfortable subject between the both of them. And so what if Kuroo often talked about how great being on his team was? He did that back in high school too, so he was no different now than he was back then. Discussing different plays and scenarios was also easy enough to do, though it did leave Kei a bit frustrated when he thought about executing them with his current team.

Kei rolled his eyes. “You’re reading too much into it.” Yamaguchi opened his mouth to say something, but Kei quickly cut him off, “We’re not like that, okay?”

He pouted, though genuine concern did shine through his eyes. It was always like him to want to look out for his friends. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

There was a twinge of...something - fondness perhaps? - at that which caused Kei to huff because it wasn’t Yamaguchi’s job to worry about those kinds of things really. But he did anyway. It was just what Yamaguchi did unconditionally.

“I’m not going to get hurt.”

Yamaguchi studied Kei’s face for a moment before giving a simple “Okay” and going back to whatever school work he had left.

Kei felt incredibly relieved to be off that subject. He and Kuroo had hooked up just a bit since that first time, but it wasn’t anything serious really. Obviously, there was sexual tension between them - always had been - and they were just finally doing something about it now. Nothing more and nothing less.

He pulled out his phone, feeling his mind racing a bit too much to fall asleep now, and reopened his messages. Scrolling through a refreshed page on social media, he was able to clear away any of the nonsense Hinata had done to clog up his timeline. He blindly liked a few things, acknowledging that, yes, he was in fact alive and took interest in the ridiculousness of his friends’ lives. He liked a few posts from Hinata and Yachan then Akaashi-san reposted some interesting articles that he saved for later. Koganegawa was obnoxious with his selfies as usual - often taken from odd angles to either include everyone at unflattering positions or cropped out whatever he was trying to take a picture of. When he liked a picture of Bokuto clearly showing off at the gym and bench pressing more weights than he normally did, Kei was then treated rather cruelly by fate underneath that.

Bokuto hadn’t been alone at the gym.

Positioning his phone just right so as to not block his face or lose balance in the squatting pose he thought looked dynamic in the full length mirror, Kuroo stared right at him. It looked as if he was placing most of his weight on his one side in a lunge, the muscles in his thigh and calf prominent due to stress, while he had his other leg outstretched to show off the flexed muscles in his other thigh. Kei could also tell that Kuroo had purposely pulled his basketball shorts up to show off more skin than what was necessary - if taking a picture like this and plastering it all over the internet was even necessary.

It was.

At least for Kei.

Clearly, the picture was to entice someone to stare and oggle at Kuroo’s legs with the emphasized caption of _“Wouldn’t dream of missing leg day~ <3”_ as the final hint, but Kei’s eyes drifted further up. He could easily conjure up the memory of feeling those thighs underneath his fingertips - biting into the sinews of his muscle. Kei also knew what lay underneath that loose muscle tank, tracing his fingers through the divots and curves of Kuroo’s abdominals. The taste of salty skin touched his tongue as he imagined licking up the side of that neck, mapping out all the ways he mewled and hummed beneath him. And as Kei met those eyes, he knew exactly what was racing through Kuroo’s mind.

Kuroo’s eyes were half-lidded but not glazed over like they were when he’d gotten him off the other day. They were still sharp and focused with a taunting gleam that made the gold of his irises burn low and molten, causing that warmth to churn in Kei’s gut. Those eyes could easily pin Kei to a wall and have their way with him. They’d haunted his dreams all throughout high school just daring Kei to try and “take me for yourself.”

He could practically hear the sneer now - the challenge beckoning him to throw all rationale out of the window.

**From Kuroo:**  
_You like what you see?  
(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧_  
[22:56]

Kei blinked, having lost himself momentarily, as he opened up the sudden text message from the devil himself. Had he liked the picture without realizing it? That would practically give him away. He could ignore the text message and feign unconsciousness - not quite out of the realm of possibility - but that would be too obvious.

**To Kuroo:**  
_I’ve seen better._  
[22:59]

 **From Kuroo:**  
(๑°o°๑)  
Tsukki!!  
I’m hurt  
｡ﾟ･（>﹏<）･ﾟ｡  
[23:02]

 **To Kuroo:**  
_You’ll be fine._  
[23:04]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_Nope  
Never  
I’ll never be fine （￣ε￣＠）_  
[23:07]

Kei rolled his eyes. No matter how attracted he may be to Kuroo, he was still an overgrown child at times and that could be just as easily annoying.

**To Kuroo:**  
_Then perish, I guess._  
[23:10]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_That’s not what you’re supposed to say!!  
( ˃̣̣̥ω˂̣̣̥ )_  
[23:11]

 **To Kuroo:**  
_Enlighten me then._  
[23:13]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_Come over and comfort me~  
(･´з`･)ゞ_  
[23:15]

 **To Kuroo:**  
_What? To stroke your ego more?_  
[23:18]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_Or something else~  
(=ↀωↀ=)✧_  
[23:19]

Kei deadpanned at his phone, hoping that it would just burn in his hands. He had walked right into that, which should have proved just how tired he was.

**To Kuroo:**  
_Perish._  
[23:25]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_So. . .tomorrow??_  
[23:28]

He really should have stopped then and gone to bed. Let that question sit and linger unanswered until maybe...tomorrow afternoon. It would have served him right and given Kei a peace of mind. But Kuroo’s gym selfie came to mind and Kei could feel his face get hot. 

Tomorrow wouldn’t be soon enough.

**To Kuroo:**  
_Sure.  
But your place, not mine._  
[23:31]

 **From Kuroo:**  
_Anything you want, Tsukki~ ( ˘ ³˘)♥_  
[23:32]

“Tell Kuroo I said hi.”

Kei threw a glare over at Yamaguchi who was cleaning up his desk, prepping his bag for his morning classes. This only earned him a laugh from his best friend.

Looking back at his phone, Kei regretted not closing out of the conversation because sure enough he’d received another message - an image clearly just meant for him. He was positive he was going to combust on the spot and was once again thankful for being so physically exhausted to do more than just feel his face get hot.

The selfie Kuroo had sent had him splayed flat on his back in his bed, the black and red pillows and sheets exactly how Kei imagined, with his damp hair mussed from finding the right position to take the picture. He held the phone up using one hand while his free hand was tucked behind his head. Kuroo wore that stupid cheshire grin as he held the bottom of his shirt between his teeth, revealing the tight muscles in his chest.

It was a ridiculous pose - that was whispered in the back of his head. Ridiculous and alluring, and Kei hated that those two words could be used in the same sentence. But Kei mostly hated that he was having the exact reaction that smug expression thought was pulling off.

And that was when he clicked his phone off - although that was probably as bad as responding to the image. Kuroo would have expected this.

Cheeky bastard.

Closing his eyes, Kei evened out his breathing and once again felt the overall exhaustion of the day wash over him. Admittedly, it was an odd feeling being satisfactorily drained, and Kei couldn’t remember the last time he was actually content with it. 

He wasn’t going to tell Yamaguchi he was right, but a small part of him could see the pattern. Whenever Kuroo made an appearance, something was bound to happen. What was going to happen this time around, he wasn’t sure, but he knew that it wasn’t going to be like the other times. It was already different.

There was something irresistible about chasing after the next point.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, that was a beast >.>
> 
> Thank you so so much for reading!
> 
> Again, this takes place before my current on-going fic "Middle of the Night." I'm arranging this into 2 series: 1. My main series that will include MotN and 2. A solo series for all of the individual fics that correlate to this direct fic
> 
> I like incorporating music into my writing so some inspirations to check out:  
> Series Title song: Love Somebody by Lauv  
> Fic Title song: Irresistible by Fall Out Boy
> 
> I appreciate all comments, questions, and concerns~! Also, if you wanna shout about HQ or my fics, find me on twitter @kelsanity1 :3


End file.
